bartintl147

147

147 Oct - Nov 2013 Our 25th year

NBAA CONVENTION 2013 BI-MONTHLY / October-November / POSTING OFFICE BE 1380 LASNE

PLEASE VISIT US AT NBAA 2013 CENTRAL HALL, C12216 LAS VEGAS, USA

PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE IN EUROPE

RETURN TO THE GOOD DAYS ?

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Find out more about our visions and products at www.pilatus-aircraft.com. Alternatively, please call +41 41 619 62 96 or e-mail salespc12@pilatus-aircraft.com.

CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

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Imagine routine frequency changes and pre-departures clearances free from blocked frequencies and muffled voices – it’s a reality with CPDLC. The next generation UniLink® airborne data link system, UL-800/801 Communications Management Unit, with VHF Data Link (VDL) Mode 2 offers superior control and operation of air/ground digital communications in the Link 2000+ and FANS ATN environment.

Visit us at NBAA Booth N6108 or visit www.uasc.com to learn more.

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OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - 2013 Volume XVI - No 5 BART No 147 WWW.BARTINTL.COM

CONTENTS 34

62

NBAA GOING FOR GROWTH Our preview of the world's biggest Business Aviation show taking place in Las Vegas October 22 - 24.

AVIONICS MOVES FORWARD Avionics manufacturers will be promoting their latest innovations at NBAA. We give the low down on their technical advances.

52

72

CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS AT NBAA Highly-gifted engineers that are pushing the Business Aviation technology envelope farther than before, Marc Grangier investigates.

SAFETY SENSE The team at Great Circle Services look at why it's important to be clear on who is PIC and who is SIC.

58

74

THE QUEST FOR ENGINE SUPREMACY We look at all of the latest developments from the world's most innovative engine manufacturers.

GETTING CONNECTED We profile Honeywell Aerospace focusing on the roll-out of GX Aviation's satellite technology.

Member

OUR ADVERTISERS AND THEIR AGENCIES 29 47 15 35 8-9 21 2-3 13 11 33 65 41 7 51 19 81 17 45 22 23 24 25 39 61 84 55 37 43 83 31

ABACE 2014 AMSTAT ARINC Avinode Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. CAE Cessna Service Centers (Copp Media Services Inc.) Dassault Falcon (Puck l'Agence) Duncan Aviation EBACE 2014 Elliott Aviation Euro Jet Intercontinental FlightSafety (Greteman Group) FlightSafety (Greteman Group) Garmin GCS Safety Solutions HondaJet (Milner Butcher Media Group) Javajet Asia Jet Aviation MRO Basel Jet Aviation MRO Geneva Jet Aviation MRO Dubai Jet Aviation MRO Singapore JetNet LLC Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI) Pilatus Aircraft NBAA 2014 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference 2014 Tyrolean Jet Services Universal Avionics Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.

PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE IN EUROPE

SECTIONS 6 EDITORIAL 10 FAST TRACK 28 BUSINESS NEWS 30 EUROPEAN UPDATE 32 CEO S CORNER

Editor and Publisher Fernand M. Francois Senior Editor Marc Grangier Managing Editor Paul Walsh Editor-at-Large Nick Klenske Senior Writers Liz Moscrop, Jack Carroll Contributors Fabio Gamba, Michel R. Grüninger, Capt. Giancarlo Buono, Markus Kohler, Aoife O'Sullivan, Giulia Mauri, LeRoy Cook, Louis Smyth, Derek A. Bloom, Steve Nichols, Eugene Gordon Business Aviation Consultants Walter Scharff, Guy Visele Director Marketing & Advertising Kathy Ann Francois +32 472 333 636 e-mail advertising@bartintl.com Administration and Circulation Carolyn Berteau cberteau@bartintl.com Production Manager Tanguy Francois Photographer: Michel Coryn, Pascal Strube Circulation and Editorial Office: BART International, 20 rue de l'Industrie, BE1400 Nivelles, Europe Phone +326 788 3603 Fax +326 788 3623, e-mail info@bartintl.com BART International (USPS #016707), ISSN 0776-7596 Governed by international copyright laws. Free subscription obtainable for qualified individuals. Bank account: Fortis 271-0061004-23. Printed in Belgium.

Bimestriel. Bureau de depot B-1380 Lasne.

Responsible editor Fernand M. Francois, 38 rue de Braine 7110 La Louviere.

OUR COVER Is the US returning to the good old days of growth and entrepreneurialism?

Read our NBAA report to find out.

From the Editor

BIG BROTHER IF THERE IS ONE VISCERAL FEELING that is a giant step toward a matching set of ulcers, it is the feeling a business person gets when he realizes the competition is spying on his activities or even chasing his clients. It happens in every corporation, some more than others. Ordinary carefulness is usually a safe haven, but the sharks are becoming more and more skillful.

Our business is travel and if an entrepreneur, a businesswoman or a big corporation opts for Business Aviation, it is primarily for the flexibility and confidentiality our industry offers. Business Aviation patrons do not want their flight posted on a bulletin board for the world to see. Staying off the radar was possible in the good ol days when binoculars were the primary spying tool, but with the launch of ASDI data stream, a service made available to the industry by the US DOT, remaining incognito is becoming more and more of a challenge. The ASDI stream consists of data elements that show the exact position and flight plans of all aircraft. Elements include the location, altitude, airspeed, destination, estimated time of arrival and tail number or designated identifier of air carrier including general aviation aircraft operating on IFR flight plans. Some computer geeks have even created programs allowing anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world to track flights around the globe in near-real time.

Some of these programs are free, but if you want to spend a few dollars you can even get en route images of the departure and destination airports.

As NBAA has long maintained, flight tracking creates real concerns relating to competitiveness, personal security and privacy. Last month, the FAA conveniently published its final policy allowing

aircraft owners and operators to opt out from having their flights tracked through the use of ASDI. Any aircraft owner or operator may now request a blocking of their aircraft s identification number from any public display of the FAA s ASDI data.

The days of old style espionage are gone and we are now feeling the increasing hassle of being spied on by our own governments, who use the cloak of fighting terrorism to really chase money laundering. The U.S. National Security Agency set in motion a vast network of supercomputers and wiretaps gathering phone calls and Internet records by the millions. Money transfers using a PC banking system are routinely being checked

by Big Brother. Using Taxpayer dollars, the U.S. Air Force, inspired by Mother Nature, has already developed a drone capable of flapping its wings to soar like a pigeon and perch unnoticed on a power line while observing a surveillance target with a built-in hi-res camera.

Governments say they don t spy on ordinary citizens with aerial drones or any other technology, but residents of the tiny Colorado prairie town of Deer Trail are not taking President Obama at his word. Instead, they have invented a new pastime: drone hunting. It s a half-serious initiative intended as a symbolic protest against what many in the town, and around the country, see as an emerging and increasingly sinister American surveillance state. At the very least, the $25 licenses could raise some revenue for Deer Trail, a rickety plains outpost in a state being considered by the Obama administration for experimental use of civilian drones. The US Government may need a complete overhaul.

A TBO of more than 200 years is too long.

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions William Shakespeare

OUR FAMILY OF CUstOMeRs | A LetteR seRIes

“Our flight department strives for excellence, not mediocrity.

FlightSafety plays a big part in that equation.”

Jeff Wofford Chief Pilot and Director of Aviation

to find out about the many benefits of being a Flightsafety Customer, please call scott Fera, senior Vice President, Marketing, at 718.565.4774. sales@flightsafety.com • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company

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AGENDA

FIRST FANS RETROFIT CERTIFICATION ACHIEVED NBAA CONVENTION October 22-24 Las Vegas, USA

SHEDULERS & DISPATCHERS January 14-17, 2014 New Orleans, USA HELI-EXPO 2014 February 24-27 Anaheim, CA, USA

Universal Avionics and Chicago Jet Group (CJG) announced that CJG has received the long awaited, first FANS retrofit certification. CJG worked diligently with its partners and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure that the first certified retrofit installation of a FANS 1/A+ / Controller-Pilot Datalink Communications (CPDLC) system over Iridium in a Dassault Mystere Falcon 50 was achieved. Several additional airframes are currently in-process at CJG for FANS retrofit installation and certification.

Chicago Jet Group installed Universal Avionics’ UniLink UL-801 Communications Management Unit (CMU) with internal VHF VDL Mode 2 receiver. Interfaced with dual UNS-1Lw Flight Management Systems (FMS) and International Communications Group’s (ICG) NxtLink ICS-220A Iridium Satcom, this installation provides the flight crew with a global voice channel and a dedicated datalink channel to support ACARS, FANS 1/A+ messaging and CPDLC.

BEECHCRAFT APPOINTS AIR SERVICE BASEL AS KING AIR ASC Beechcraft Corporation and its aftermarket service and support organization, Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS), has announced the appointment of Air Service Basel in Switzerland as an authorized service center (ASC) for the company’s King Air aircraft series.

Air Service Basel, which began operation in 1967, is a full service FBO, as well as an EASA and FAA approved Maintenance Organization and Repair Station at the Euroairport Basel-Mulhouse (LFSB / LSZM) in Switzerland. Air Service Basel’s maintenance department includes a highly qualified team of licensed aircraft mechanics with a wide range of capabilities for piston, turboprop and turbine aircraft.

With this designation as an ASC, the facility is now authorized to provide line and base maintenance to the complete range of Beechcraft King Air products.

CÔTE D AZUR AIRPORTS ACQUIRES GULF OF SAINT-TROPEZ AIRPORT

UNIVERSAL AVIATION GREECE THANKS CLIENTS FOR 20 YEARS OF SUPPORT

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA) announced it has acquired 99.9% of shares of AGST (Saint-Tropez Airport), previously owned by the Reybier group for the past 15 years. ACA ranks second in French commercial traffic after Aéroports de Paris (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly) with 11.2 million passengers in 2012, and is the second French airport for Business Aviation traffic after Paris-Le Bourget with over 42,500 movements in 2012.

AGST (Aéroport du Golfe de Saint-Tropez) operates SaintTropez Airport. It has made about 6,900 Business Aviation movements in 2012, bringing the total number of ACA business operations to 49,000 movements (2012 pro-forma including Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu, and Saint-Tropez).

Athens-based Universal Aviation Greece officially celebrated its 20th year of providing ground support services throughout Greece and all the Greek isles. Euro Aviation opened in 1993 and was re-branded as Universal Aviation Greece in 2011. Universal Aviation Greece first provides ground support services throughout Greece and is one of the oldest and most established locations within the Universal Aviation network.

Universal Aviation is the ground support division of Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. and has more than 40 locations in 19 countries.

10 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

Business Aircraft Service & Support ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Aircraft Acquisition & Consignment Airframe Maintenance Avionics Installation Engine & APU Government & Special Programs Paint & Interior Parts, Avionics, Instruments & Accessories Emergency Assistance (AOG)

Duncan Aviation, Inc. is an independent business aircraft support organization, providing complete service and technical support. The Duncan Aviation name is wellknown and respected by manufacturers and service providers around the world. We have a strong reputation for providing premier aircraft services—delivered on time— for a wide variety of business aircraft.

Visit us at NBAA Booth #C8543. +1 402.475.2611 ■ www.DuncanAviation.aero/worldwide Owned and operated by the Duncan family since our founding in 1956.

JET AVIATION HONG KONG AUTHORIZED BY HONG KONG BUSINESS AVIATION CENTER

Jet Aviation Hong Kong recently received full authorization from the Hong Kong Business Aviation Center (BAC) to provide maintenance services to 3rd party aircraft. Jet Aviation Hong Kong also services aircraft belonging to Jet Aviation’s aircraft management division in Hong Kong.

Jet Aviation Hong Kong is now a fully approved Maintenance service provider at Hong Kong’s Business Aviation Center. With this approval, the company is authorized to provide maintenance support to 3rd party customers, subject to the company’s aircraft approval type ratings.

“We constantly strive to deliver the most benefit to our customers and this service expansion approval attests to our high Business Aviation standards,” said Nigel Parker, managing director at Jet Aviation Hong Kong. “As an Authorized Factory Warranty Service Center for Gulfstream and an Authorized Service Center for Dassault Falcon aircraft, we look forward to providing full Maintenance services to our customers’ fleets.”

Jet Aviation also has a 24/7 aircraft management and charter operation in Hong Kong, and currently has 25 aircraft in its Asian management fleet.

EXECUJET LAUNCHES CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES IN LAGOS

EASA OKS BLR AEROSPACE FASTFIN SYSTEM FOR BELL 412

ExecuJet Africa, the continent’s leading Business Aviation company, is introducing customs and immigration services at its fixed-based operation (FBO) facility at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria.

Officials from the Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Customs and Immigration Authorities will now process all international business aircraft arrivals and departures at ExecuJet’s Lagos FBO. Ettore Poggi, Managing Director of ExecuJet Africa, says: “These new services are a direct response to customer demand. Our passengers and crew can now enjoy a more efficient and comfortable passage when arriving or leaving Lagos.

This additional capability reinforces our commitment to provide the highest level of customer service in Nigeria.”

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the BLR Aerospace FastFin® Tail Rotor Enhancement and Stability System for installation and flight on all Bell 412 helicopters. FastFin is already EASA-approved for installation on Bell 204, 205, and 212 helicopters.

Based on patented technologies, BLR’s flagship FastFin System enables performance improvements in useful load, wind azimuth tolerance and hover stability for Bell medium helicopters.

12 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

DNA. It Matters.

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Unrivalled credentials for engineering excellence and technological innovation.

And generation after generation of business aircraft that consistently prove best in class for performance and efficiency. And for pure genius.

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JSSI BECOMES CHARTER MEMBER OF CEPA EXPO JSSI, the leading provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for aircraft engines, airframes and APUs, has become the first charter member of the Central European Private Aviation (CEPA) Association’s flourishing annual Expo.

CEPA is currently in the planning stages for its fourth Expo in Prague, which takes place in November this year. JSSI has been a supporter of the Expo since its launch in 2011, and has made a substantial financial commitment at a level entitling JSSI to become CEPA Expo’s first charter member. Commenting on JSSI’s decision to invest in CEPA Expo, Jan Hascher, JSSI Director of Business Development for Central Eastern Europe & Russia said, ”As an established maintenance program provider in this part of the world, JSSI recognises the value of the CEPA network and the annual Expo event, so we are proud to be investing in the future of Business Aviation in this region of the world.”

FLAIRJET ADDS PHENOM 100 TO CHARTER FLEET

GLOBEAIR CELEBRATES 5th ANNIVERSARY

FlairJet, part of Marshall Aviation Services, the Business Aviation arm of Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, announced at BGAD 2013 it is adding another Embraer Phenom 100 to its managed fleet. Effective October, aircraft G-ITSU, configured in a four-seat club arrangement, will be offered for third party charter based out of London Oxford Airport.

The aircraft joins a privately owned Phenom 100 (G-LGMG) based in Bari, Italy and a Cessna XLS and Citation Bravo based at Cambridge International Airport under the FlairJet AOC.

GlobeAir AG, one of the leading European private jet companies, announced it will celebrate its 5th anniversary of its first commercial flight, carried out on September 15th 2008, with a range of celebratory events for its customers & partners all over Europe, letting them part-take in this milestone.

Over the past five years, GlobeAir has managed to successfully grow and prosper, often stirring up the industry by taking the roads less travelled yet in the end setting new standards in the industry.

DEPARTMENT STORE FOR USED AIRCRAFT OPENS IN GERMANY The largest marketplace for used aircraft will open in the heart of Europe: The joint project “JetPortCity” between the City of Wilhelmshaven, the District of Friesland and the Duesseldorf-based company German Private Jet Group AG offers the full range of services related to aircraft for buyers and sellers 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

JetPortCity concentrates all requirements for vendors and purchasers of used aircraft in a single location.

Today in Europe’s market for used aircraft the sale of pre-owned aircraft and helicopters is spread globally over different airports and locations. There is a lack of target-oriented marketing and maintenance necessary for a successful sales process.

14 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

BEECHCRAFT REVEALS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR JET UPGRADE PACKAGES IN EUROPE New analysis by Beechcraft Corporation reveals that a large proportion of Europe’s light and midsize jet market is currently listed for sale. In the aftermath of the Russian Business Aircraft Show Jet Expo 2013, the manufacturer believes that this could lead to a growth in demand for jet upgrade packages from Russian buyers, such as its Hawker XPR programs, as they look to benefit from the enhanced performance, efficiency and value of refurbished aircraft.

Beechcraft’s Global Customer Support (GCS) organization offers the customized XPR upgrade packages for existing Hawker 400 and 800 series light and midsize jet aircraft, as well as XPR factorycompleted aircraft for those who do not currently own an aircraft.

The upgrades provide a highly modernized business jet, at around half the price of a comparable new jet. Beechcraft is experiencing substantial demand for the 400XPR upgrade, with its order book full until the third quarter of 2014.

JETS APPOINTED AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER FOR DASSAULT AVIATION JETS, one of Europe’s leading independent business aviation maintenance and technical support organizations, and part of Germany’s 328 Group, announced it has become an Authorized Service Center for Dassault Aviation. The agreement endorses the company to undertake line maintenance on the Falcon 900 and 2000 at its expanding London Biggin Hill MRO facility and play an important part in the company’s European network support.

“We are delighted to be formally recognized by Dassault with this sound endorsement for our work,” commented JETS Group Managing Director Alan Barnes. “These aircraft are regular visitors to Biggin Hill, coming in from destinations like Russia and, Germany and having an ASC on site, coupled with the growing popularity of Biggin as a UK arrival point, is good news for operators and private owners of Falcon jets “

EURO JET OPENS NEW PRAGUE FBO Euro Jet Intercontinental, the leading provider of ground support services in Europe and Asia is proud to unveil its newly renovated FBO facility at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport. Euro Jet is the only Prague FBO to offer two complimentary VIP crew lounges. The Prague FBO opening continues Euro Jet's 5th Year Anniversary celebration that has included a new lounge opening in Tivat, expansion into Turkey, and a celebratory party at EBACE. Euro Jet's new complimentary crew lounges are located on the land and airside in Terminal 3. This allows crews to chose the most convenient option prior to proceeding through security.

The lounges feature a relaxation area that comfortably seats six with the option of enjoying complimentary snacks and beverages, watching cable television on a large flat screen television or working at one of their computer stations that include Wi-Fi, printer, scanner, and fax capabilities.

16 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

JET AVIATION ZURICH OPENS ITS EXPANDED AND REBRANDED FBO Jet Aviation Zurich recently relocated its FBO to a new building erected alongside the existing General Aviation Center in Zurich. The facility has been completely rebranded with the new corporate look and feel, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva FBO. The roomier Jet Aviation Zurich FBO has a separate entrance with a new reception area and customer lounge incorporating the recently launched Jet Aviation branding. The company also moved its operations center ramp-side, separating it from the customer area and situating it closer to the more spacious customs and immigration area.

“We are delighted with the enhancements to our FBO in Zurich which highlight the quality of our handling services and our experienced personnel,” says Monica Beusch, general manager of Jet Aviation Zurich and head of FBO Services in EMEA & Asia. “Our goal is to provide a positive customer experience by anticipating customer requirements and ensuring their utmost comfort.”

THREE-IN-A-ROW AS SHANNON S TRAFFIC GROWS FOR 3rd CONSECUTIVE MONTH

Shannon Airport’s steady recovery in passenger numbers continued for a third consecutive month in August, figures revealed by the airport today show.

Passenger numbers for the month show that 170,000 people travelled through Shannon in August, a 3% increase on August 2012.

The increase comes on the back of strong gains also in June – the first time in five years growth was seen in month-over-month figures – and July.

Transatlantic services again showed the greatest uplift in August, with 35% more passengers travelling between Shannon and the US/Canada compared to 12 months ago. Overall, passenger numbers for the airport have now increased by 7% over the three key summer months and 37% on transatlantic services during that same period.

18 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

TAG FARNBOROUGH AIRPORT ONE STEP CLOSER TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRALITY TAG Farnborough Airport has been awarded Airport Carbon Accreditation at the ‘Optimization’ level, recognizing a reduction in carbon emissions under the airport’s direct control, between 1 January and 31 December 2012, and the inclusion of third party and local aircraft emissions within the overall footprint.

Miles Thomas, Environment Manager of TAG Farnborough Airport, was presented with the accreditation certificate by Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, at the head office of the program administrator WSP Environment & Energy in central London today.

Airport Carbon Accreditation, launched by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe in June 2009, assesses and recognizes efforts by airports to manage and reduce their carbon footprint. The ‘Optimization’ level awarded to TAG Farnborough Airport is the third of four levels of accreditation - ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’, ‘Optimization’ and ‘Neutrality’ - which measure the step-by-step process towards comprehensive carbon management and carbon neutrality.

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For more information, visit our website: Garmin.com/kingair

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DALLAS AERONAUTICAL SERVICES BRAZIL TO OPEN NEW FACILITY Dallas Aeronautical Services (DAS) Brazil recently announced they are expanding into a new facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil. DAS Brazil will begin operating in the new facility starting in the first half of 2014.

A subsidiary or Dallas Aeronautical Services, DAS Brazil specializes in the production, repair and overhaul of composites, structures and assemblies. The new facility will be utilized to better serve the business aircraft market in South America. Operating in 70,000 square feet of space, DAS Brazil will be located in the Technical Park at São José dos Campos, Universidade Vale do Paraíba (UniVap). In addition to the initial investment by the company, the project is being supported by Invest San Paulo and the UniVap.

GE SIGNS IHI AND TECHSPACE AERO AS PARTNERS ON PASSPORT PROGRAM GE Aviation has reached agreement with IHI of Japan and Techspace Aero (Safran) of Belgium to become partners of a joint venture on GE’s new PassportTM engine for Business Aviation.

IHI and Techspace Aero will be responsible for more than 37 percent of the Passport engine, which will power the Bombardier Global 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, IHI will be responsible for the low-pressure turbine module, aerodrive systems, fan hub frame and aft fan case. Techspace Aero, located in Liège, Belgium, will be responsible for the booster module, lube tank and pump and the heat exchangers.

ABS JETS EARNS TWO NBAA SAFETY AWARDS ABS Jets, one of the fastest growing European business jet operators earns two NBAA Safety Awards by NBAA - Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and Aviation Support Services Safety Award.

The NBAA has granted ABS Jets, a.s. the 2013 “Commercial Business Flying Safety Award” for operating business aircraft 9 years for a total of 21,177 consecutive hours without an accident involving damage to property or injury to persons.

Michal Pazourek, ABS’ Chief Operations Control Center, earned the “Aviation Support Services Safety Award” for contributing to the safety of business aircraft operations a total of 3 or more years without an accident involving damage to property or injury to persons.

20 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

EURO JET EXPANDS VIP SERVICE INTO TURKEY Euro Jet Intercontinental, the leading provider of ground support services in Europe and Asia has expanded its on-the-ground presence throughout Turkey. The new stations in Turkey continue Euro Jet’s fifth year anniversary celebrations that include expansion into key regions experiencing significant growth in private aviation.

Euro Jet Turkey includes the same standardized VIP service it provides all its customers throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This includes having a Euro Jet agent on-the-ground, crew lounges, ramp cars, supervised catering, discounted hotel rooms, and the ability to quickly coordinate all fuel and permits.

MH AVIATION SERVICES PARTNERS WITH BASEOPS INTERNATIONAL

MH Aviation Services, now a part of World Fuel Services’ family of Business Aviation products and services, has begun working in concert with BaseOps International to strengthen World Fuel Services’ international trip planning and handling offerings. MH Aviation brings to the table a great wealth of knowledge in customized trip planning and handling within the African continent and around the world.

“The combined expertise of MH Aviation Services and BaseOps International make for a strong team. Both organizations employ a staff of highly experienced and knowledgeable professionals that flight crews can rely on for accurate, timely and customized support services anywhere on the planet. Their combined efforts undoubtedly strengthen our international trip planning offerings,” said Michael Clementi, President of World Fuel Services’ aviation segment.

At CAE, safe operations are our number one priority, as demonstrated by our world-class flight training. But your other needs are also important.

That’s why we offer convenient and enjoyable locations, unsurpassed service, and tailored programs and schedules that meet your needs.

So work with the people who work with you. CAE. Elevate your training. cae.com

Visit us at NBAA, October 22-24 in Las Vegas, Booth 3533.

Š2013 CAE. All rights reserved.

TETERBORO AND BIGGIN HIL SIGN TRANSATLANTIC AVIATION INITIATIVE The innovative scheme established between Teterboro Airport in the metropolitan area of New York and London’s Biggin Hill Airport is aimed at supporting and developing business air transportation between the financial and commercial centers of the City of London and New York.

Enshrined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in New York by Ralph Tragale, Assistant Director of the Aviation Department of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and Andrew Walters, Chairman, Biggin Hill Airport Ltd, the MOU provides the platform for international cooperation and customer service geared exclusively to business and corporate aviation.

New York Teterboro and London Biggin Hill Airport operate similarly as international gateway airports to their respective cities, both located conveniently within 12 miles of the city centres.

Both airports have multi-choice FBO’s and MRO’s and a full range of supporting technical services.

STANDARDAERO SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH RAINAIR StandardAero announced that it has signed a three year Support Center Agreement with RainAir Aircraft Services for engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) on the Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A engine for Fleet of King Air, PC-12, Caravan, Cheyenne aircraft. Under the terms of the contract, StandardAero will serve as the exclusive engine service provider to RainAir. “The Support Center Agreement is our first with RainAir,” said Rob Cords, Senior Vice President, Airlines & Fleets, StandardAero. “RainAir is a rapidly growing FBO servicing the Southeast United States. Our ability to effectively support their business growth provides a strategic advantage for them as well as strategic growth advantages for us. We are excited to be partnering with RainAir.”

Jet Aviation Basel

Count on our local expertise; benefit from our global MRO network Meet the team who can do it all. Founded in 1967, we are committed to the safety and satisfaction of our clients. We specialize in all current models of the majority of Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and perform the full range of maintenance activities. This includes D-Checks, major modification and alteration of airframes, and upgrades of cockpit and cabin electronic systems. You can also take advantage of our extensive paint and refurbishment capabilities and our 24/7 AOG services. Our Basel team takes care of you here while you benefit from our global network everywhere else. Personalized to Perfection.

Jet Aviation Basel Tel. +41 58 158 4111 | AOG 24/7 +41 58 158 4848 jbsl@jetaviation.ch | www.jetaviation.com/basel

Visit our global MRO locations: Basel

Kuala Lumpur

Boston/Bedford Moscow Vnukovo Dubai

Riyadh

Geneva

Singapore

Hong Kong

St. Louis

Jeddah

Teterboro

GULFSTREAM LAUNCHES SERVICE AND SUPPORT IPHONE AND IPAD APP

FLIGHTSAFETY INTRODUCES NEW VITAL 1100 VISUAL SYSTEM

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has launched 24-Hour Support, an iPhone- and iPad-compatible application that provides customers with fingertip access to Gulfstream’s worldwide product support network.

“Our 24-Hour Support app offers fast and easy access to the contact information our customers need anywhere they’re located, at any time of the day,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. “It is particularly useful for aircrafton-ground situations. Paper or a PDF file is not necessary anymore. With one touch, you are connected to Gulfstream Product Support and on your way to getting the assistance you need.”

The 24-Hour Support app, which will be updated regularly, is a comprehensive source for direct access to Gulfstream Technical Operations, 19 company-owned and authorized service centers, 13 company-authorized warranty facilities, 43 field service representatives, Spare Part Sales, and other key contacts. The app includes phone and fax numbers, email addresses, location information and operating hours.

FlightSafety International has announced the introduction of its new generation VITAL 1100 visual system."VITAL 1100 offers unprecedented fidelity for a wide variety of uses with full flight simulators and a complete range of other advanced training devices," said Jon Hester, General Manager, Visual Systems. "Our team of highly qualified engineers and designers developed VITAL 1100 based on Customer requirements and the experience gained during more than 44 years of producing the successful series of VITAL visual systems."

The computational performance of VITAL 1100 is five times greater than that of its popular predecessor, the VITAL X. This significantly enhances training by providing mission-specific imagery with vastly improved scene content and unprecedented levels of detail.

Jet Aviation Geneva

Count on our local expertise; benefit from our global MRO network Meet the team who can do it all. Specialized in Gulfstream, Bombardier Global Express, Hawker series, the Dassault Falcon 50 and 900 and the Boeing Business Jets aircraft, as well as a number of smaller jets, we have been providing base and line maintenance, repair and overhaul and avionics support to mid and large cabin aircraft since 1969. And if your aircraft is grounded you can always count on our 24/7 AOG support on short notice. Our Geneva team takes care of you here while you benefit from our global network everywhere else. Personalized to Perfection.

Jet Aviation Geneva Tel. +41 58 158 1811 | AOG 24/7 +41 58 158 4848 jgva@jetaviation.ch | www.jetaviation.com/geneva

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RUAG AVIATION CERTIFIED FOR MD HELICOPTER MRO AND UPGRADES

CESSNA LATITUDE FUSELAGE UNDERGOES WING MATE Cessna has celebrated the successful completion of the wing mate on the Citation Latitude first test article. This achievement is another program milestone for the Latitude as it approaches its first prototype flight expected in the first quarter of 2014. The Latitude was announced at the National Business Aviation Association's Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA) in October 2011.

Terry Shriner, Cessna business leader for the Latitude, says: "It is very rewarding to see an aircraft take shape that, until now, you've only seen on paper, and the Latitude team is enthusiastically looking forward to the prototype's first flight in a few months. This is an exciting project for customers as well, as the Latitude design is driven in part by customer input on performance and cabin amenities. Cessna has always been known for our dedication to the customer, and the Latitude is a perfect example of this commitment."

RUAG Aviation is now officially authorised to perform the full range of maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) and upgrade services for the McDonnell Douglas MD 500, MD 600 and MD 900 helicopter series.

The Maintenance Organization Exposition (MOE) rating was received in June 2013, and covers services for the MD 500E, MD 520N, MD 530E, MD 600N and MD 900 Explorer. This rating supplements RUAG Aviation's extensive established helicopter maintenance and modernization competences, which are based on its decades as a service provider for civil and military helicopter owners and operators.

"We constantly work to provide our customers with high quality solutions that are delivered cost-effectively and with short turnaround times," says Yves D채hler, Sales Manager of Helicopter Services at RUAG Aviation. "We are proud to add the MD helicopter series to our portfolio of type ratings. It is a testament to the reliability and capability of our helicopter centers in Mollis (Switzerland)."

Jet Aviation Dubai

Count on our local expertise; benefit from our global MRO network Meet the team who can do it all. Opened in 2005, we are an authorized service center to provide maintenance and warranty support by Boeing for the BBJ, Gulfstream for the GIV and GV series, Dassault for the Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X series and Hawker Beechcraft for the Hawker 800 series including the Hawker 4000. We also provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and 24/7 AOG services for other aircraft types, including the Embraer Legacy. Our Dubai team takes care of you here while you benefit from our global network everywhere else.

Personalized to Perfection.

Jet Aviation Dubai Tel. +971 4 299 4464 | AOG 24/7 +41 58 158 4848 jdxb@jetaviation.ae | www.jetaviation.com/dubai

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COLT INTERNATIONAL UNVEILS ONLINE FLIGHT PLANNING SYSTEM

DASSAULT DELIVERS 500TH FALCON 2000 Dassault Aviation recently achieved a venerable milestone when the 500th Falcon 2000 was delivered into service from the Little Rock Completion Center.

The aircraft, a Falcon 2000S, will be operated by a customer based in the UK. The Falcon 2000 fleet has accumulated nearly 2 million flight hours to date, reflecting its huge popularity among business jet operators.

The Falcon 2000 first flew 20 years ago, in March 1993 and was the first business jet in the world to be designed using a fully digital mockup. Originally conceived for the United States coast to coast market, the Falcon 2000 family has since grown to include six additional versions responding to Falcon operator needs of the time.

The current production versions of the Falcon 2000, the 2000LXS and 2000S, were certified by the EASA and the FAA earlier this year.

Colt International is set to reveal OFP, the next generation in online flight planning and trip support technology.

"We developed OFP to deliver a product of greater value to our loyal customer base," said Malcolm Hawkins, Colt's co-founder and president. "Without exception, our customers testing this product have said OFP is seamless and intuitive."

Since its founding in 1999, Colt has earned a reputation as a global leader in international trip support and aviation fuel services. It has evolved over the past 14 years to add value to its services through the development of key technologies such as eFuel, Trip View and now OFP. This technology puts the control back in the hands of pilots, dispatchers and schedulers with unparalleled access to powerful trip planning tools, key data and graphical information. Harnessing the power of Google Maps and Google Earth, OFP renders flight details, such as route, altitude and weather in 3D rather than text. This is displayed side-by-side with key data, such as regulatory requirements, fuel quote/set-up and airport informations.

Jet Aviation Singapore

Count on our local expertise; benefit from our global MRO network Meet the team who can do it all. As a gateway to Asia for business aviation located at Seletar Airport, we are an authorized service center and warranty repair facility for the Gulfstream series, an authorized service facility for the Bombardier Challenger, Learjet and Global series and a Boeing BBJ line maintenance station as well as an authorized Cessna Citation service station.

Jet Aviation Singapore provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, aircraft repair, 24/7 AOG services as well as refurbishment and exterior painting services. Our Singapore team takes care of you here while you benefit from our global network everywhere else. Personalized to Perfection.

Jet Aviation Singapore Tel: +65 9118 8365 | AOG 24/7 +41 58 158 4848 jsin.pah@jetaviation.com.sg | www.jetaviation.com/singapore

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UPCAST EXPANDS iPad APPLICATIONS SUITE Upcast, the aviation media company from Russia, has announced plans to expand its iPad applications fleet, hoping to make most paper aircraft references obsolete. The two apps already on sale are Upcast JetBook and Upcast TurboBook, featuring 73 business jet and 11 turboprop models respectively. The two new applications in development are HeliBook and PistonBook, covering the two other aircraft classes that should appeal to private, corporate, and VIP owners.

The applications combine the convenience and functionality of the Apple iPad with the value of traditional aircraft catalogues, not by just transferring the data into digital format, but also adding some features that many aircraft owners, industry professionals, and aviation enthusiasts have long called for. All apps allow users to browse through aircraft models currently in production or development, as well as the more popular out-of-production types. It is possible to quickly assess different aircraft, view photographs, cabin layouts, and cross-sections, as well as compare flight ranges on an interactive range map.

Upcast AvBooks publisher Ivan Veretennikov explains: "It's an application for the iPad that is part business jet catalogue and, more importantly, part comparison tool.

Upcast AvBooks publisher Ivan Veretennikov explains: "It's an application for the iPad that is part business jet catalogue and, more importantly, part comparison tool. You can browse through models one at a time, check out their pictures, cross-sections and interior layouts, detailed specifications, 360 views, and videos. The interactive range map has many more cities than are generally offered in manufacturers prospects and you can click on any of them to instantly see what cities the chosen aircraft can reach. The best part, though, is that you can compare up to 6 models at a time.

Performance, cabin size, costs - it's all there. And it looks great."

NEW HIGHLY-SWEPT RAISBECK PROPELLER FOR KING AIR C90 The Raisbeck Swept Blade Turbofan Propellers for all King Air C90s are available for deliveries beginning in January 2014. These propellers represent the continuing advance in swept-wing theory under a joint development program with partner Hartzell Propeller, Inc. They follow the introduction of the Swept Blade Propellers for the King Air 200 family last January.

All C90GTx, C90GTi, C90GT, C90B, C90A, C90 and E90 aircraft will accept these newly designed propellers. They can be installed as an upgrade to existing 4-blade propellers (replacing either Raisbeck Turbofans or Beech's OEM propellers), alone or in combination with Raisbeck's EPIC Performance Package.

The new propellers for the C90 family further increase the blade sweep from 24° on the Swept Blade 200 model, to 30° outer radii, contributing to their impressive ramp appeal.

Combined with Raisbeck Dual Aft Body Strakes (completing the EPIC Package), the resulting airplane is truly distinctive.

FLIGHTSAFETY INT L EXPANDS ITS TRAINING FOR CESSNA FlightSafety International announces a significant expansion of the training it offers for Cessna aircraft at its Learning Centers in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas.

“We are pleased to now offer training for the full line of Citation XL series aircraft in Orlando, and to add simulators for the Citation CJ2+ in San Antonio, and the Cessna Caravan equipped with a Garmin G600 avionics suite in Wichita,” said Steve Gross, Vice President, Sales. “This demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide owners and operators of Cessna aircraft with conveniently located, high quality training programs using advanced technology simulators.”

26 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

CRS PROVIDES PREFLIGHT SECURITY SYSTEM UPGRADE CRS announces upgrades to Securaplane Security systems in an effort to advance aircraft ground security. The PreFlite system upgrade is available for all existing installed systems. The upgrade for Legacy 500 and 450 Systems are now available and in most case can be installed utilizing existing system provisions with minimum effort. The upgrade provides a more reliable and user friendly interface with updated technology. The new radar based wheel sensors no longer require complicated aiming concerns. No longer are there range limits or remote transponders necessary as arming, disarming and communication can all be accomplished through cell phones.

The PreFlite Systems were originally installed on Gulfstream model 450 and 500 airframes as well as Challenger 605's.

PEOPLE Blackhawk Modifications has announced that Kevin Hawley has joined the company in the role of Principal Engineer.

Hawley’s technical experience and expertise in electrical and mechanical systems and flight analysis will enhance the company’s new product development work, according to David Gee, the company’s Vice President of Engineering.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. also recently appointed Brent Monroe vice president, North American Sales, Western Division. He reports to Scott Neal, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream.

William Gibson

Kevin Hawley Elit’Avia, a fully-integrated provider of business aircraft charter, management and operation services, today announced the appointment of Ms. Puja Mahajan as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has appointed William Gibson as director, Product Support Global Distribution. In this newly created position, he manages all processes, procedures and operations related to the movement and warehousing of spare parts throughout the Gulfstream Product Support global distribution network.

Gulfstream has more than $1.4 billion in parts and materials strategically located worldwide, including the recent addition of distribution sites in Brazil, China and India.

Brent Monroe JETS, the expanding Business Aviation MRO, owned by the 328 Group, has announced the appointment of Adam West to Sales and Commercial Manager for its Bournemouth and London Biggin Hill facilities, effective 9th September. In his new role, he will be responsible for MRO sales and all aspects of JETS

commercial operations including building strong relationships with customers and developing future growth strategies.

most recently as founder and managing director of successful aviation strategy consultancy e2consult.

Adam West

Patrick Edmond

Satcom1, the satellite communication specialist for VVIP, Head-of-State,military, business and private aircraft, has announced the appointment of its new CFO Henrik Z i n c k , who will lead and develop Satcom1 Corporate Finance & IT Departments worldwide.

Henrik Zinck brings with him more than 15 years of top management experience as CFO, CEO and Board Member of several satellite and telecom companies, including VSAT systems integrator specialist - Emperion and CBB Mobil, a subsidiary of Telenor (Scandinavian leading telecom provider).

S t a n d a r d A e r o announced that Russell Ford has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.

Ford joins StandardAero from Precision Castparts Corporation, where he recently served as President of Carlton Forge Works and Di ckson Test Group of the Forged Products D ivi sion. Ford beg in s hi s new role on October 15.

Shannon Group plc have announced the appointment of aviation strategist Patrick Edmond as Group Strategy Director and Managing Director of its International Aviation Services Centre (IASC), with immediate effect.

Mr Edmond has extensive experience in the aviation industry spanning two decades, in Ireland, Europe, and worldwide,

West Star Aviation recently announced that Morris Smith has accepted the position as Gulfstream/Bombardier Technical Sales Manager at their East Alton, IL (ALN) location. Morris brings nearly 35 years of technical and management experience with him to West Star.

They also recently announced that Christina Byman has joined the company as Technical Sales Manager – Avionics at their East Alton, IL (ALN) location. In addition, West Star has welcomed Craig Winterrowd as Regional Sales Manager in California.

BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 27

ROCKWELL COLLINS TO BUY ARINC FOR $1.39 BILLION Rockwell Collins, Inc. announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, and a leader in communications and information processing solutions for the commercial aviation industry, for $1.39 billion.

The transaction will bring together two leading players in the growing field of aviation information management, combining ARINC’s trusted networks and services with the industry leading avionics and cabin technologies developed by Rockwell Collins.

“Strategically, this acquisition is a natural fit for Rockwell Collins,” said Kelly Ortberg, Rockwell Collins Chief Executive Officer and President. “It accelerates our strategy to develop comprehensive information management solutions by building on our existing information-enabled products and systems and ARINC’s ground–based networks and services to further expand our opportunities beyond the aircraft.”

ARINC broadly touches the entire aviation eco-system, including pilots, operators, maintenance, passengers, controllers, regulators, security, and airport operations. In addition, ARINC provides communications and information processing for the rail, industrial security and public safety segments. Their 2013 revenues are expected to be in excess of $600 million. When completed, the acquisition will shift the balance of Rockwell Collins’ business to approximately 54 percent commercial and 46 percent government.

“ARINC’s strong customer base, high customer retention rates and subscription business model will help the company achieve accelerated growth and benefit from greater earnings consistency throughout the commercial aviation business cycle,” added Ortberg.

“We’re excited to be joining a company who shares our vision and focus on providing trusted solutions for our customers,” said ARINC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Belcher. “Rockwell Collins’ expertise in managing information on-board 28 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

the aircraft, coupled with our innovative and reliable air to ground communications services, will be instrumental in providing new integrated information management solutions for our customers.“ The transaction is expected to close upon receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. It is expected to be EPS accretive once certain transaction and integration costs have been incurred.

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MARSHALL ACQUIRES HAWKER BEECHCRAFT EUROPEAN MRO BUSINESS Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group

(Marshall ADG) announced today the purchase of Beechcraft’s flagship European MRO business, Hawker Beechcraft Limited.

At its Broughton location in the UK, the site, also known as Hawker Beechcraft Services Chester, has provided a full range of maintenance, modification, paint and upgrade services to owners of Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft for over 50 years. The business will be known as ‘Marshall Aviation Services.’

Announcing the deal, which was signed on 30th August 2013, Steve Fitz-Gerald, CEO of Marshall ADG comments: “We are committed to a strategy of building our civil aerospace business and I am delighted that Hawker Beechcraft Limited has become part of Marshall Aviation Services. This is our second business aviation acquisition this year and demonstrates our ambition to grow and become a major player in the business and commercial aviation marketplace.”

Marshall ADG will continue to provide a vital service and support role for Beechcraft throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has been granted Authorised Service Centre status for Hawker and King Air aircraft.

Christi Tannahill, Senior Vice President, Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support, said: “We view the transition of our service facility to Marshall as a positive development for customers, employees and the aviation industry in the region. We are confident Hawker and Beechcraft owners

and operators will continue to receive worldclass support through this newly designated Authorised Service Centre. We consider the employees to be one of the facility’s greatest assets and are pleased the Marshall team plans to capitalise on those valuable resources.”

Marshall Aviation Services also plans to broaden the range of aircraft types supported at Broughton and leverage its design and integration expertise to provide aircraft manufacturers, governments and specialist operators with innovative engineering and support solutions to satisfy special mission requirements.

Steve Jones, Managing Director of Marshall Aviation Services, comments: “This exciting acquisition will enable us to focus on developing a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for business aviation. The company’s workforce, hangars, interior workshop and customer facilities, along with its established onsite design engineering office, engine bay and state-of-the-art paint facility, are a great platform for us to build on.”

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BOMBARDIER AGREES SALE OF FLEXJET Bombardier announced that it has reached a definitive agreement for the sale of Flexjet’s activities to Flexjet, LLC, a newlycreated company funded by a group led by Directional Aviation Capital. Total consideration is $185 million US and the completion of this transaction is subject to the approval of all required governmental and regulatory authorities and other customary closing conditions. The transaction for the sale of Flexjet’s activities is expected to close before the end of the year.

In addition, Flexjet, LLC has placed a firm order for 85 business aircraft (25 Learjet 75, 30 Learjet 85, 20 Challenger 350 and 10 Challenger 605 jets.) The agreement also includes options for an additional 160 business jets. The transaction for the firm aircraft order is valued at approximately $1.8 billion US based on 2013 list prices. If all the options are exercised, the total value of the order will be approximately $5.2 billion US, also based on 2013 list prices.

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APRIL 15, 16, 17, 2014

BUSINESS AVIATION ON FULL DISPLAY IN SHANGHAI — MAKE PLANS TO BE THERE

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EUROPEAN UPDATE

EUROCONTROL AND FSF PARTNER TO REINFORCE SAFETY

EUROCONTROL and the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) have renewed their partnership to reinforce aviation safety in Europe and globally.

The partnership aims at strengthening cooperation between the two organizations in order to reduce aviation safety risk. Three key issues stand out in the joint work: looking for enhanced and cost efficient ways to promote aviation safety through joint safety events; the need to create a ‘Just Culture’ in aviation; and the support for SKYbrary, an online repository for aviation safety knowledge.

Frank Brenner, EUROCONTROL Director General said: “EUROCONTROL and the FSF have been working together for a number of years already. Keeping this fruitful relationship intact and even strengthened, combining our scarce resources, efforts and sharing best practices will contribute to saving many more lives in aviation.”

“Our partnership with EUROCONTROL has greatly benefited both organizations over the years and I’m very pleased that we are able to renew it,” said Kevin Hiatt, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation. “Based on our past joint efforts, I’m excited for the possibilities that are available when our two organizations work together to advance safety.”

Under the terms of the agreement between the two organizations, the EUROCONTROL Agency will serve as Fellow for Aviation Safety in Europe, responsible for coordinating the promotion and implementation of the FSF safety initiatives and products on the continent. On its side, the FSF will promote EUROCONTROL safety initiatives and products globally. A particular emphasis will be given to supporting the development of a Just Culture and aviation safety knowledge management through SKYbrary and joint events.

EASA AND TRANSPORT CANADA ENHANCE COOPERATION

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The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) signed on 24 September 2013 a Working Arrangement to harmonize their approach to international safety standards, which will ensure that a high uniform level of civil aviation safety is maintained.

30 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

This Working Arrangement establishes working procedures between EASA and TCCA in the frame of the ‘Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft’ (SAFA) program of the European Union. The program enables participating countries to carry out ramp inspections and to collect and exchange information on the safety of third country aircraft using airports located in the states that participate in the SAFA program. The provisions of this program will now be progressively extended to Canada, paving the way for a full participation of Canada in the SAFA program at the end of a transition period.

On signing this arrangement, Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director declared: “I am honored to sign this Working Arrangement with Transport Canada in the presence of Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and EU Vice President Siim Kallas. The SAFA program is a great European success and the most advanced international program for safety data collection and exchange”.

“Air travel does not stop at our borders, and this is why Transport Canada is very proud to have joined EASA, and over 40 countries in the SAFA Program” said Martin J. Eley, Director General, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada.

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EBAA REITERATES SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL MARKET-BASED MEASURES FOR AVIATION Ahead of the ICAO Assembly 38th Session beginning 24 September, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) reaffirms its support for the implementation of an international MBM mechanism to address aviation CO2 emissions under ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Such a mechanism is vital in order to deter the creation of a patchwork of unilateral national and/or regional policy measures across the globe. In that sense, the Association welcomes the ICAO Council’s latest Resolution as a concrete step in the right direction. In particular, its precise timeline for the implementation of a global MBM by 2020 constitutes undeniable progress compared to previous positions.

“We have already witnessed the folly of imposing market-based measures on a strictly regional basis. The EU-ETS has had its share of criticism from stakeholders worldwide,” explains Fabio Gamba, CEO of EBAA. Amongst those is the fact that the financial and administrative burden of EU-ETS has fallen disproportionately on the shoulders of small business aircraft operators flying mostly within Europe.

“A truly viable MBM must aim to minimize competitive distortion and administrative complexity. The current EU-ETS has failed to do either; first by imposing different compliance thresholds for commercial and non-commercial operators, and more recently by enacting a derogation, which has distorted competition by reserving EUETS for intra-European flights only,” adds Fabio Gamba. “To that end, we welcome the Council’s Resolution which recognizes that the administrative burden of an MBM for operators with low levels of international activity should not exceed the benefits from their participation in the scheme. This is a strong – and fair – principle that we wish to be applied under a revised EU ETS.”

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If the Resolution is accepted, in part or in full, it is anticipated that the current EU ETS, including its Stop-the-Clock derogation, should – accordingly - be substantially modified. This would represent a unique chance to rebalance a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation. First and foremost, a revised EU ETS should tackle the current exemption threshold for non-commercial operators and raise it to the same level as for commercial operators (10,000 tones of CO2 and less than 243 flights per three consecutive periods of four months). “This would address the competitive disadvantage between both types of operators and would eliminate the current levels of nugatory costs on operators and regulators alike,” says Brian Humphries, President of EBAA. “We are hopeful these considerations will be made, as failing to address them via appropriate amendments would essentially nullify the expected progress achieved at the Assembly.”

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RUNWAY PERFORMANCE LIKELY TO GET EARLIER REVIEW As EBAA'S On the Rader newsletter recently pointed out, EASA recently published its rulemaking program for 2014-2017. Of great interest to the Business Aviation community, the Agency highlighted that it would set a Rulemaking Task (RMT) for Aeroplane CAT performance, in the second quarter of 2014.

Among issues, the RMT is aimed at "establishing landing distance assessment requirements".

That's good news, as the RMT opens the door for a revision of existing regulations for landing distance requirements - a review of

which has long been requested by EBAA GAMA (General Aviation Manufacturers Association) and ERAC (European Regional Aerodromes Community).

To that end, EBAA is in discussions with EASA to provide input to the Terms of Reference for the initial drafting and if possible, directly participate in the Rulemaking Group.

Meanwhile, as a As a follow up to the European Parliament's favorable resolution of 2008 (Agenda for Sustainable Future in General and Business Aviation), which recognized the value of business aviation for the region, EBAA, together with AOPA, has decided to actively re-engage MEPs through the formation of a Business Aviation / General Aviation Intergroup.

Intergroups comprise MEPs who meet to informally exchange views on a particular subject in order to offer informed recommendations when the subject arises in Parliament. Such groups thrive on the active cooperation of civil organizations like EBAA and AOPA to help educate Members about latest developments related to the group's subject area.

"Throughout the economic crisis, MEPs have, quite understandably, had their attention pulled in many directions. As a result some of the momentum we gained in 2008 with the Parliament's Resolution has softened. Along with our colleagues at AOPA, we believe now is an ideal time to actively re-engage MEPs and once again raise the profile of business and general aviation among them," says EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba. "A number of MEPs have expressed their interest in such a group, and we hope to be able to announce a Business Aviation Intergroup in time for Parliamentary elections next May.

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BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 31

CEO S CORNER

By Fabio Gamba

Fabio Gamba, Chief Executive Officer of the European Business Aviation Association.

WITH ONLY A FEW EXCEPTIONS, Business Aviation has historically been ignored by air transport bilateral agreements. These agreements, a staggering almost 2,000 just for the European Union Member States, regulate the way commercial air transport is operated between two countries by granting what are called traffic rights to (designated or non-designated) carriers of the two signatory States.

Traditionally, bilateral agreements tend to be restrictive, like the famous Bermuda I and II agreements (respectively 1946 and 1977 between the U.S. and the UK) that helped shape air transport internationally. Most, if not all allow designated carriers to fly any routes within 1st and the 4th freedom rights (5th, 7th, 8th and 9th freedom rights – cf. Annex 1 – being almost universally banned from such agreements) between two, or more, countries. This situation has prompted scholars to determine that commercial scheduled air transport is by nature RESTRICTED. Indeed, it is not only ruled by the existence of complex agreements, but it is also entangled by conservative rules aimed at protecting the interests of the local flag carrier(s) against the possible predatory behaviour of others.

This situation gradually evolved, but never went through a paradigm shift.

The U.S. inaugurated in the early 80’s what was later called “Open Skies” agreements, i.e. the systematic liberalisation of 3 rd and 4 th freedom rights between designated carriers. More than 100 such Open Skies agreements have today been signed by the U.S. DOT. Following this, the EU pushed the concept a step further in the early 2000’s, forced as it was to restore legal certainty on the designation clause.

The EU having assumed competence, Member States were no longer allowed to negotiate on behalf of their sole carrier(s), but were forced, from 2004 on, to include an EU designation clause, valid for all EU carriers.

With one infamous exception – i.e. the EU-U.S. comprehensive agreement, the first version of which was initialed in 2007 – all the agreements explicitly exclude non-scheduled air transport services (e.g. EU-Canada Air Transport

32 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

BUSINESS AVIATION AND TRAFFIC RIGHTS Agreement, which states in Art. 1: “Air services” means scheduled air services on the routes specified in this Agreement for the transport of passengers and cargo, including mail, separately or in combination”). That’s why scholars later defined non-scheduled air services as being “extra-bilateral”, at least from a traffic rights perspective.

In reality, non-scheduled air transport is not totally absent from the existing agreements. In 1956, a multilateral agreement on commercial rights of non-scheduled air services in Europe was signed in Paris by the then ECAC members. It is still valid today, even though some of its clauses have become obsolete, or impractical (e.g. seating capacity of not more than six passengers). But its thread has largely influenced the way commercial nonscheduled air transport has subsequently been treated.

It is well summarised in its Art. 2(1): “The Contracting States agree to admit the aircraft referred to in Article 1 of this Agreement freely to their respective territories for the purpose of taking on or discharging traffic without the imposition of the “regulations, conditions or limitations” provided for in the second paragraph of Article 5 of the [Chicago] Convention, where such aircraft are engaged in: […]”. It was argued at the time that this multilateral agreement was somewhat redundant as, by definition, not being subject to bilateral agreements, it was to be considered as conferring commercial non-scheduled operators the freedom to fly from one State to another seamlessly.

Actually, the Paris Agreement also foresaw what it deemed “conditions or limitations”, but the main thread of the text was to explicitly confirm that commercial non-scheduled air transport was to be considered as mainly UNRESTRICTED, with a major caveat though: the sacrosanct “beyond rights” i.e. 5th (at least beyond the signatories, not amongst themselves), 7th (right of establishment) 8th and 9th (cabotage)

freedom rights were to be ruled out, both for strategic reasons (not allowing foreign operators to offer cabotage rights on a commercial basis), and for reasons of competition (to guarantee fair competition to local industry, and avoid dumping, illegal activities or other unfair competition activities.

But because 5th and 7th freedom rights were not formally excluded, several Member States thought that they should be clearly ring-fenced. To do so, they opted for a relatively simple method called the procedure of nonobjection (or “objection process”).

Whilst 3rd and 4th freedom rights were, and are as a rule of thumb, permitted, 5th and 7th freedom rights became prohibited, unless expressly allowed.

Upon notification, the Authorities following this procedure now check whether the requested 5 th freedom rights operation can be done by one of its local operators. If not, the request is generally granted. It is today still applied in Europe by France, the UK – although recently the DfT openly questioned its pertinence – Germany, Italy and a few others. There is no such trace of procedures in other, smaller, EU Member States, and where evidence shows that this procedure is not being applied.

So is this an optimal situation for Business Aviation? Well it is obviously not, as the sector is striving to offer the customer a seamless offer. When and how this can be done remains to be seen, but it is clear that the EBAA, together with its international partners within IBAC, has a role to play in the redefinition of tomorrow’s extra-bilateral traffic rights. Eventually, the implementation of an international single sky for on-demand commercial flights would call for the elimination of all the barriers that today constrain its international development and indirectly contribute to illegal flights; definitely not an optimal situation.

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201 014

BUSINESS AVIATION: Making a Difference in Europe.

500 Exhibits 60 Aircraft 12,000 Attendees

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PREVIEW

NBAA

RETURN TO THE GOOD O OL DAYS?

By Nick Klenske

I remember attending my first NBAA back in October of 2008.

Held in Orlando, the weather was sticky humid and the show was hot with sales. Being my first really big Business Aviation expo, I recall being overwhelmed by the show s size two buildings of exhibition and an entire tarmac for the static display. And the show was exciting. Press conferences then were about unveiling new products and it seemed there were contract announcements every hour. I remember attending a Gulfstream customer product launch event and, while mesmerized by the theatrics, thinking now this is a business sector to be excited about .

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f course in the background of NBAA 2008 was the start of the global economic crisis. Although we tried to tune it out, the CNN reports playing in the background simply could not be ignored. Banks were crashing, stocks were falling and a storm was quickly gathering on the horizon.

The thing is, at the time, nobody new how serious – and global – that storm was going to be. It seems that as soon as the show closed up for the year the industry was sent into a tailspin.

Governments were blaming Business Aviation for the crisis, companies stopped buying jets and suddenly, in a blink of an eye, everything just shut down.

NBAA 2009 was an entirely different kind of event, dare I say like attending drawn out funeral? Yet we remained positive, with everyone staying on message that things were getting better and the industry was set to once again take off. But by 2010 we started sounding like a broken record, and by 2011 no one was really listening any more. The recession just kept going and going and going…

And here we are at NBAA 2013 and, finally, the recession is officially in our rearview mirrors. Granted, we’re not out of the woods yet, but at least we can actually look each other in the eye when we say things are indeed getting better.

This being the case, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘what can we expect from the first post-recession NBAA?’ NBAA 2013 This year’s edition of the world’s biggest Business Aviation show is set to take place in Las Vegas October 22 – 24. The show itself will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the static display located at the Henderson Executive Airport.

Organizers expect over 25,000 attendees to come through the doors, making NBAA the sixth largest tradeshow in the US. As NBAA is, at its core, the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association, it is the place where players from across the industry gather to discuss the latest ‘hot topics’ and plan the course for the year

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COMFORT

It's hard to beat the Airbus ACJ series when it comes to cabin space and intercontinental range.

ahead. In that sense, a key indicator of where Business Aviation is and – more importantly – where it is going, can be judged from the convention’s program of courses and sessions.

This year’s opening session, which sets the tone for the show, will be hosted by NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and will feature special guests Michael Huerta, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator, and John Pistole, US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator.

Looking at the rest of the program you will notice an absence of such terms as ‘economic crisis’ and instead a return of focus on regulatory and safety and security issues.

For example, on the topic of safety and security, Cessna is set to hold the Single Pilot Safety Standdown. As NBAA is one of the few opportunities for professionals to gather physically together, the session will take advantage of this by drawing on the actual experiences of pilots and placing an emphasis on peer-to-peer information sharing over traditional lecturing.

Topics include: emerging technologies, operational safety, data analysis and best practices for on-the-ground operations. Along the safety lines, NBAA’s newly updated Top 10 Safety Issues for Business Aviation will be presented and discussed at a town hall meeting.

The other side of the safety coin is risk management, which will be addressed in a session entitled Risk

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Management 101. This ‘in a nutshell’ course will focus on covering all the elements of handling a known risk, including avoidance, mitigation, transfer and retention. The panel discussion will focus on each element, look at how it applies specifically to Business Aviation, and then illustrate with real world examples.

Although the economic storm seems to have passed, there’s already another one on the horizon, one in which industry ‘storm chasers’ are referring to as The Perfect Storm – the Business Aviation talent shortage. In a session on this topic industry experts will address the latest developments regarding this pressing topic and will provide ways flight departments can plan ahead and set up strategies to attract and retain talented candidates within a very limited pool. As Generation Y begins to move in, it will be essential for human resources professionals to understand what needs to be done to develop a passion and commitment for a career in Business Aviation.

Another not to be missed opportunity is the annual Meet the Regulators session. The panel discussion will feature representatives of the FAA who will not only discuss the latest regulations affecting the Business Aviation industry, but will also answer your questions and address your concerns.

One session that really jumps out – particularly as this is the North American Business Aviation show – is the one entitled ‘Operating and Doing

Business in China’. The session will include a panel of Chinese companies and flight department managers of multi-national companies with aircraft based in China and will discuss how your company can best utilize Business Aviation in the country. But seeing this topic on the North American agenda raises the question of NBAA’s role in a global industry. Is this a sign that the North American market is dead? Or is this the first step in moving away from regionalized shows and organizations and towards calling it what it is: an international industry facing global challenges and requiring a unified voice for navigating?

Maybe this will be the global financial crisis’ legacy?

Of course only time will tell how our annual trade shows evolve, so in the meantime let’s take a look at what the leading OEMs have in store for this year’s edition.

Airbus Corporate Jets (Booth C11606) When it comes to size, comfort, cabin space and intercontinental range, it is hard to beat the Airbus ACJ318, ACJ319 or ACJ320. In an increasingly globalized business world, the ACJ family of VIP widebodies that offer a global range are becoming increasingly popular – a fact made clear by the over 170 sales made to date.

New to the family is the ACJ321, which in June the company announced the first delivery going to Comlux. Like the other members of the ACJ family, the ACJ321 is all about the cabin – claiming to have the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet on the market. Where the ACJ321 goes even further is with its stretched fuselage, giving the jet a longer cabin too.

“When you travel on business, you want to take comfort and space into the air and, with the widest, tallest and longest cabins in the sky, you get more of that with Airbus corporate jets,” says John Leah, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “So whether you fly your own Airbus corporate jet or charter one from a leading VVIP operator, you can be sure you get the best cabin in the sky.”

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MARKET

BBJ President Steve Taylor (top) envisages a possible BBJ version of the 737 Max8.

Fully emerged from Chapter 11, Beechcraft is back delivering 115 aircraft for the first half of 2013.

Boeing Business Jets (Booth N2304) The Boeing Business Jet, or the BBJ, is all about distance. Boasting spacious cabins, the company places an emphasis on the BBJ’s lower cabin altitude that allows passengers to arrive after a long-haul flight feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to go.

Many at NBAA will likely be anxious to hear further news on the possible business jet version of the 737 Max – which will extend the range of the BBJ version of the 737 Max 8, which was launched in 2012. This expansion of range will place the BBJ in direct competition with such ultra large cabin offerings as the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier Global 7000 – creating cut-throat competition within this lucrative segment.

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“We certainly could sell it, but we’re still looking at what is the right product,” says Steve Taylor, BBJ president.

We last heard of the project at EBACE in May, when the company discussed reaching the 7,000nm rage by modifying a Max 7 with a Max 8 wing. Another option on the table is launching a high gross weight version of the 737 Max 8, which will enhance the landing gear structure so as to absorb the same maximum takeoff weight as the standard Max 9 version.

Beechcraft (Static Display) Perhaps the all new Beechcraft best epitomizes the post-recession Business Aviation sector. Here is a company that many saw last year’s NBAA being a curtain call of sorts. But here we are in 2013 and Beechcraft is back.

Fully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the new Beechcraft is a leaner, smarter version of its old self and is ready to compete. In fact, according to recently released second quarter results, Beechcraft has recorded a 75 percent increase in deliveries as compared to the same quarter last year. The company notes a delivery of 56 Beechcraft commercial and military units in Q2 2013, as compared to Q2 2012’s 32. That brings the total deliveries for the first half of 2013 to 115 aircraft.

“Beechcraft is progressing through 2013 in a strong position,” says Bill Boisture, CEO. “While the global economic conditions remain difficult, the value proposition and versatility of our products continue to resonate with customers.”

The key to its phoenix-like reemergence is its commitment to making change and to refocus on what it saw as its differentiator: its turboprop and piston airplanes. This of course meant dropping its production of Hawker jets and reshaping itself into a smaller, leaner and more efficient company.

Whereas most companies stop all activity during bankruptcy proceedings, Beechcraft went to the drawing board and started creating a strategy for high-rate production as soon as the restructuring was complete.

The plan worked. In addition to the stellar Q2 results, the company also announced the largest order for propeller aircraft in the history of civilian general aviation. Wheels Up, a new private aviation, membership only

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firm, ordered 105 King Air 350is – an order that includes 35 firm orders with options for 70 more. Deliveries are expected to commence yet this year.

This is particularly remarkable as, normally, companies going through bankruptcy experience a significant level of operational disruption. Instead, Beechcraft is now delivering aircraft on schedule, on time and below planned costs.

“We came out of that financial restructuring with progress in production and operations,” says Boisture.

“What the restructuring set up is a very predictable, repeatable assembly and delivery process.”

“I’m very proud of our people,” he adds.

GLOBAL

Billed as the world's farthest reaching business jet, the Global 8000 has a 7,900 range at Mach .85 with eight passengers.

Bombardier (Booth N5731) Even if Bombardier lost its billing as top business jet producer to Gulfstream this year, things are still going strong for the Canadian manufacturer. According to its second quarter results, revenues were flat yearover-year at about $2.3 billion – with more than half of these revenues coming from the business aircraft division.

During this time Bombardier delivered 45 jets, including four Learjet 60XRs, 16 Challenger 300s, 11 Challenger 605s and 14 Global 5000/6000s. These results are even more impressive considering that deliveries of the Learjet 40XR and 45XRs have been stopped so as to prepare deliveries of the Learjet 70 and 75 later this year.

Any order announcements at NBAA will be hard pressed to beat the $1.3

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NBAA

billion in orders announced at last summer’s Paris Airshow.

The announcement included an order for 12 Global 8000 business jets, which are currently in the early stages of development, placed by an ‘undisclosed customer’. There was also a $518 million sale of 20 of the newly announced Challenger 350s to regular Bombardier customer VistaJet. The Global 8000, sure to be prominently featured at NBAA, is billed as the world’s farthest reaching business jet that is poised to connect and open both established and emerging markets to business. Key routes within the jet’s range include Los Angeles to Sydney, Hong Kong to New York and Mumbai to New York. Highlights include a 7,900 nm range at Mach .85 with eight passengers and an impressive Mach .90 high-speed cruise capability. It claims to have the largest and most comfortable cabin in its class and boast GE’s Passport engines for low burn and low emission efficiency.

The currently under development Challenger 350, on the other hand, is a ‘complete and superior response to today’s customers’ that offers ‘more performance, greater comfort, new efficiency, definitive reliability and unmatched value’. Highlights include a redefined cabin with state-of-the-art aesthetic and ergonomic additions, a 3,200 nm range at Mach .80 cruise speed with eight passengers, larger windows, flatter floor and more spacious cabin, a redesigned winglet for increased aerodynamic efficiency and, perhaps most importantly, a direct

operating cost that will rival most midsize aircraft.

The jet’s impressive range makes it a true intercontinental player, providing non-stop connections between mainland China and all major cities, exceptional point to point access between major African cities and such impressive city pairs as London to Lagos, Moscow to Dubai and Mumbai to Nairobi.

Addressing the VistaJet order, Steve Ridolfi, President, Bomardier Business Aircraft, said: “Following a historic Global aircraft order late last year, we are very proud that VistaJet has once again chosen to partner with Bombardier for their fleet expansion needs. Our newly launched Challenger 350 jet will be an excellent complement to their existing fleet of Bombardier aircraft.”

“The Challenger 350 jet’s superior performance, new cabin and best-inclass operating costs will further support VistaJet’s global expansion and mission to offer the ultimate business jet family across the world,” he added.

Cessna Aircraft Company (Booth C8843) There is a lot happening out in Wichita, unfortunately for us Cessna has kept tight-lipped on what it plans to bring with it to Vegas. Although all we can do is ‘guess’, based on recent announcements it’s a pretty safe bet that much of the news coming from Cessna at NBAA will be updates on product developments.

One of those developments is the much anticipated Citation Latitude

The other big development working its way through the Cessna pipeline is the Citation M2. With deliveries expected to begin yet this year, the company recently announced that the first production unit has rolled off the assembly lines. The jet is positioned to be the ideal aircraft to fly up to six passengers with a range of 1,300 nm. ”Excitement is building for the very versatile M2,” says Brad Thress, Cessna senior vice president, Business Jets. “Businesses appreciate the M2 for its low direct-operating and acquisition costs, while it also offers the performance and capacity that charter operations look for. In other words, the M2 delivers across the board, and we are looking forward to its first production flight.” which, as of mid-August, had just completed the first fuselage. The mid-size business jet is expected to take its first flight in early 2014 and, if LABACE is any indicator, we can expect to see a mock-up of the aircraft prominently displayed at NBAA. According to company officials, development of the aircraft is proceeding as expected, with the initial fuselage currently being used as a static test article and a second one set to soon be used for structural trials. The third article planned in the program is the aircraft prototype.

“We continue to make progress in developing the Latitude, which represents the next generation of mid-size business aircraft for the global mar-

ket,” says Terry Shriner, Cessna business leader for the Citation Latitude. “The major subassemblies for the prototype’s fuselage are complete and nearing the assembly process. The team is doing a great job of hitting each program target – parts for the first two test articles are being fabricated, and the first demonstration aircraft will soon start its build process.”

Once in the skies, the aircraft will be powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PW306D FADEC-controlled turbofan engines, giving it a maximum cruise speed of 400 ktas and an expected range of 4,630 km. The aircraft will offer configurations for seating seven to nine passengers in a spacious, 1.83 m tall, flat-floored cabin.

Dassault Falcon (Booth N6100) In the midst of celebrating its 50 th anniversary, one can expect this French manufacturer to focus on its robust history while painting the picture of the future of the Falcon Jet. And that future is called the Dassault SMS, allegedly scheduled for an NBAA launch. Unfortunately for those hoping to get a sneak peek, the company remains silent on details – leaving us to turn to speculation.

“The 50th anniversary is far more than a celebration of the past,” says Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “Sure, it’s a convenient milestone to recall a rich heritage peppered with wonderful stories from our many customers. But first and foremost, it’s a window into a very

LATITUDE

Under development, the Cessna Latitude exemplifies the next generation of mid-size business aircraft.

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NBAA As we quickly approach the 2014 entry into service date of the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500, we can expect development news on both of these projects. Although the two jets are similar (they share a flat floor, standup headroom, cabin pressure equivalent to 6,000 feet, a wet galley and eight club seats capable of converting into four full sleeping areas), there are specific differences. The midsize Legacy 500, priced at $19.98 million, will carry eight passengers in standard cabin configuration and boast a range of 3,100 nm with a maximum cruise

SHOWCASE

In addition to the SMS launch, Dassault will parade the Falcon 2000S, Falcon 900LX and Falcon 7X. The Embraer's mid-size Legacy 500 symbolizes a new generation of midsize jets (center).

bright future, beginning with a brand new model, code-named SMS, to be unveiled in the autumn.”

Very little concrete facts about the SMS are known, other than that it plans to use the SNECMA Silvercrest engine, giving the jet 9,000 to 12,000 lbs of thrust. This indicates that Dassault plans on the SMS being a larger and longer range jet then the current Falcon 7X. This makes sense as the ultra-long range business jet has proven itself to be the most lucrative and stable sector, with sales of such planes as the G650 seeming nonstop.

More so, there is limited competition in this field, so it makes sense to push another entry into the lineup. But of course this is all speculation, and we will just have to wait and see what happens in Las Vegas.

In addition to the alleged SMS launch, expect Dassault to showcase its recently certified Falcon 2000S, along with the Falcon 900LX, Falcon 7X, and its ongoing focus on technology that includes the Easy II advanced avionics suite, FalconCabin HD+ IFE system and the FalconBroadcast airborne health monitoring service.

The Falcon 2000S, which falls into the super mid-size category, was certified in April and has already begun entry into service. Standard configuration includes the Easy II, FalconCabin HD+ and a BMW Group Designworks USA designed cabin. Its range allows for such city pairs as New York to London, Sao Paulo to San Juan, Paris to Dubai and Singapore to Seoul.

It is also important to note the spring certification of the Falcon 2000LXS, which is set to fully replace the LX by the close of this year.

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Embraer Executive Jets (Booth N2523) One can expect the Brazilian company’s presence at NBAA will likely focus on what is new – both in terms of new features and new developments. In August the company announced new standard and optional features for its Phenom 100, including multi-function spoilers, an array of new interior collections, and such options as a refreshment center and premium seats.

“The new block-point changes are exciting and reflect how we listen and respond to customers,” says Ernest Edwards, President, Embraer Executive Jets. “The Phenom 100 is already the fastest and roomiest in the entry-level class, and these changes make it more efficient and luxurious to meet the increasingly discerning needs of owner-operators, corporate flight departments and leading fractional providers who have received this aircraft so well.”

speed of Mach .82. Embraer debuted its Legacy 500 prototype at EBACE in May. “As with the Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300 before it, the Legacy 500 is recognized as a game changer in its category,” says Edwards. “It is the first midsize jet with full fly-by-wire technology for complete envelope protection and improved comfort, efficiency and reduced pilot workload resulting in even more safety.”

The slightly shorter Legacy 450, on the other hand, will also carry eight passengers with a maximum cruise speed of Mach .82, offering a slightly lower range of 2,300 nm and a lower price tag of $16.47.

In addition to the Legacy 500, we can guess that the company will be flying its Phenom 100, Phenom 300 and Legacy 650 to the static display. We also expect to see the 2013 edition of the Lineage 1000, with its refined exterior, enhanced interior and Enhance Vision System to be on the Henderson Executive Airport’s tarmac.

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Gulfstream (Booth N3932)

FLAGSHIP

With a 7,000 nm range, the Gulfstream G650 (top) is able to seat up to 28 passengers while cruising at 488 knots.

Gulfstream will arrive in Vegas pounding its chest about the news that it has recently taken over Bombardier as the world’s leading business jet manufacturer in terms of value in the second quarter of 2013.

The company shipped a remarkable 36 aircraft valued at $1.83 billion in the quarter, compared to Bombardier’s 45 planes valued at $1.59 billion. This marks a doubling of Gulfstream’s shipments from this same period last year.

This news should come as no surprise as the company has continually defied the global economic crisis by slowly but steadily climbing upwards and transitioning itself into a global company.

“I’ll tell you,’’ Gulfstream President Larry Flynn recently told a local television station, “10 years ago, it was a US, Georgia-based company. Today, it’s an international company that happens to be based in Savannah, Georgia. So that’s a big transition from that standpoint.’’

This point is driven home by Gulfstream’s success in the Chinese market, where more than 100 Gulfstreams were recently sold. And then there’s the new product line fueling the company’s growth, most notably the 7,000 nm capable G650.

“We actually created a new marketplace at the $65 million price

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point that surpasses anything and everything we had done in the past,” says Flynn. “So it actually is incremental to our business and very substantial.”

The flagship G650 is able to seat up to 18 passengers. With its 7,000 nm range, it can fly nonstop from New York to Los Angeles, London or Tokyo. It is capable of flying its maximum range while cruising at a speed of 488 knots. Inside, the jet is all about being high-tech, billing itself as

the most technologically advanced business jet in the sky. The G650 comes standard with such advanced safety features as EVS II, Heads Up Display and the Synthetic Vision Primary Flight Display. The Planeview II cockpit comes equipped with a Triplex Flight Management System, automatic emergency descent mode, 3-D weather radar, advanced flight controls and an array of sophisticated, next-generation technology set to raise the bar in

pilot situational awareness and overall safety.

As always, do not expect Gulfstream to sit on its laurels.

Instead, the company fully expects to optimize its recent growth by keeping an eye on what is on the horizon: “There’s always going to be a ‘next great thing’ for Gulfstream,” says Flynn. “We continue to invest in research and development and have a substantial R&D campus just off our airport site where 1,300 of the world’s top engineers are busy working on that next great thing.”

Expect Gulfstream to promote its message of innovative growth at NBAA. The company has confirmed that the new G550 demonstrator with the Elite Interior option will be on display at the show, along with the full fleet at the static display (G150, G280, G450, G550 and G650). In terms of news, company officials say they will be providing updates on the G280 and G650, as well as the company’s product support network.

“NBAA has always been a great show for us as it’s a unique opportunity to connect not just with customers from the United States, but from around the world,” says Heidi Fedak, Senior Manager, Social Media and External Communications. “To support this, we’ll have our entire worldwide sales team on hand to interact with customers.”

Honda Jet (Booth C11524) Expect the much anticipated Honda Jet to be very much on display at NBAA. At the Oshkosh airshow in July, not one, but two of these unique looking business jets made an appearance – the third and fifth FAA-conforming jets in existence. The jet is starting to make the final rounds of FAA certification and testing and is looking at a 2014 entry into service. Classified as a small business jet, the HondaJet is configured to carry six people (or 1 or 2 crew and 4 or 5 passengers).

The brainchild of now President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Michimasa Fujino, he started the design while working for the company as a design project leader back in 1986 – legend has it that he drew the initial concept of the jet on the back of a company calendar. And it was this sketch and its unusual design that quickly gained attention.

Instead of the typical rear mounted engines, the Honda Jet utilizes engines mounted not on but over the wing. What is now referred to as over the wing engine mounts, or OTWEM, not only allow for more cabin space but also reduce noise and increase fuel efficiency. The jet also features an all composite body, natural laminar-flow wing design and state-of-the-art Garmin G3000 navigation – setting it on course to be a game changing aircraft.

Although deliveries of the Honda Jet have not started, Fujino says he has sealed two to three years of orders for the $4.5 million plane, positioning the Honda Jet to turn a profit before the close of the decade.

Pilatus (Booth C12216) According to company officials, Pilatus will be arriving at NBAA 2013 with a significantly larger exhibit in order to showcase both its PC – 12 NG and the PC – 24. “We will have an actual PC – 12 NG indoors at our display, as we have done in the past,” says Tom Aniello, Marketing Vice President. “In addition, we will be exhibiting the PC – 24 mockup that made its debut at EBACE last May.” After much speculation, the new clean sheet light twin turbofan aircraft was finally unveiled last spring and is expected to enter this very competitive market in 2017. However, Pilatus states that the PC – 24 creates a new class of aircraft, one in which it has coined the ‘versatile jet segment’, pointing to the fact that the new jet offers the versatility of the PC – 12, a large rear cabin door and the cabin volume of a midsize aircraft – all with the added bonus of the cruise speed of a light jet. The aircraft is listed at $8.9 million (2017 US dollars). Pilatus executives believe the aircraft will be a popular choice for cargo, medevac, commuter and special mission operators.

EXPECTED

Starting its final round of FAA certification, Honda Jet is looking at a 2014 entry into service (page 44).

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The jet utilizes an all metal airframe and is ideal for operating from short and unimproved runways. It is also intended for Part 23 certification, meaning it can be flown by just one pilot. Its two Williams International FJ44-4A engines give it the ability to climb to a maximum altitude FL450 in under 30 minutes and achieve a high-speed cruise of 425 ktas at FL300. Its range is 1,950 nm.

“Customer first is our mission statement,” says Pilatus chairman Oscar Schwenk. “Therefore, we asked our customers what they wished to complement the Pilatus product line.

What they told us was that they wanted an aircraft with the capabilities of the PC – 12, but faster and with a bigger cabin.”

UNUSUAL

The PC24 offers a cabin volume of a midsize aircraft (center) and the cruise speed of a light jet.

Piaggio will focus on its P180 Avanti II, the world's fastest turboprop (top).

“The PC – 24 is unique,” he continues, “in that it is the only aircraft combining the versatility of a turboprop with the cabin size of a medium size jet and the performance of a light jet.”

Since the launch of the project, Pilatus reports receiving a tremendous amount of interest in the new jet – momentum they will sure build on at NBAA. “As this will be the PC – 24’s North American debut, our expectation is that many people who have followed it online and the press

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will be eager to get a first-hand view of it,” says Aniello. “We are looking forward to a very active show.”

Piaggio (Booth C10724) Last but not least, Piaggio will be present at NBAA with a focus on its P 180 Avanti II, the world’s fastest turboprop aircraft. It has a maximum speed of 402 kts and a range of around 1500 nm and boasts a full stand up cabin – the largest in its class of mid-size jets and twin turboprops.

The jet is known for its fuel efficiency, particularly in comparison to other turbojets that fly in the same speed and altitude range. This is in part the result of a unique configuration that allows the plane to achieve light jet sp eeds b y u sing a v ery small and highly loaded wing. It also comes with an impressive technological sheet, including the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite.

The fully reversionary flat-screen displays have a host of safety features, including TCAS, TAWS and satellite weather. Another advantage is that, although it flies like a jet, the Avanti II is in fact a single-pilot airplane and doesn’t even require a crew.

To summarize the plane, John Bingham, President and CEO of Piaggio Aero America says: “Yes, it is very cool – it’s a plane that draws a huge amount of attention whenever it pulls onto a ramp because it is different. Once people get inside, they understand why people are so enamored with the aircraft because the cabin is simply huge. More so, it is an aircraft that we make to order, meaning that with the peaks and troughs of the market we are able to ride them easier than some of our other aviation competition.”

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AROUND THE EXHIBITION Air BP Aviation Services (Booth# C8817) Air BP, a division of BP, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of both aviation fuels (both Jet Kerosene & Aviation Gasoline) and lubricants (for both turbine and piston-engined aircraft). It currently supplies over 26 million tones (around 8 billion gallons) of aviation fuels and lubricants to its customers across the globe per annum.

And it’s got an impressive international spread is impressive with services at over 600 airports in some 50 countries, with local offices in almost half of these countries. The company offers two fuel cards, the Sterling card and Flight card, providing a convenient way to purchase Jet Fuel and Avgas globally.

safety and compliance Baldwin Aviation Safety & Compliance (Booth# N1117) Founded in 2004 Baldwin Aviation was developed on the premise that smaller flight departments need and deserve the same level of quality resources, services and safety management as their multinational counterparts. By developing flexible proprietary software, Baldwin Safety and Compliance is able to deliver a quality safety management program tailored to each flight department while overcoming budget and employee constraints.

Their safety management program and proprietary Safety Barometer® are tools that can be used in any size flight department to monitor its safety culture.

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Blackhawk Modifications Inc. (Booth# C7032) Blackhawk Modifications is a recognized leader in providing engine performance solutions to the global turboprop fleet. It has the largest installed fleet of STC twin-engine turboprop upgrades, and is the world’s largest non-OEM buyer of new Pratt & Whitney (P&W) turboprop engines.

One of its engine upgrade packages will boost the power and capabilities of hard-working Cessna Caravan aircraft, expanding mission profiles and dramatically improving productivity for thousands of operators around the world.

CAE (Booth# N3533) CAE is a global leader in modeling, simulation and training for civil aviation and defense. With annual revenues exceeding C$1.6 billion, the company employs more than 7,500 people at more than 100 sites and training locations in more than 20 countries.

Through CAE’s global network of 32 civil aviation, military and helicopter training centers, the company trains more than 80,000 crewmembers yearly.

CAE’s business is diversified, ranging from the sale of simulation products to providing comprehensive services such as training and aviation services, professional services and in-service support.

Duncan Aviation, Inc. (Booth# C8543) Duncan Aviation, Inc. is an independent business aircraft support organization, providing complete service and technical support for most popular business aircraft including: aircraft consignment and acquisition; airframe maintenance; avionics installation; engine and apu; government and special programs; interior and paint; and parts, accessory, avionics, instruments and propeller overhaul and repair services.

Elliot Aviation (Booth# C8143)

BLR Aerospace (Booth# C7034)

CRS Jet Spares (Booth# C10143)

BLR Aerospace focuses on developing the highest performance aerodynamic solutions in the industry, and BLR’s designs are backed by manufacturing quality. The company holds patented technologies for improving flight performance of fixed and rotary wing aircraft, and has certified over 60 Supplemental Type Certificates.

BLR’s Winglet System increases overall wingspan by 3 feet 5 inches, providing an increase in wing aspect ratio and a valuable reduction in induced drag, allowing Beechcraft King Air to fly faster on less fuel.

The goal of the Corporate Rotable & Supply’s team has been to provide business jet customers with a cost effective, high-quality alternative to OEM spares and rotable parts.

Today CRS has grown to be the preferred supplier to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporate flight departments worldwide. They have achieved their goal by offering a unique balance of technical expertise, quality products and a total dedication to customer satisfaction, all while maintaining costs that are significantly below their competitors.

As a second-generation, family-owned business, Elliott Aviation has been providing aviation services and innovative solutions since 1936. They offer Aircraft Sales, Paint, Interior, Maintenance, Avionics, Management, Charter, FBO and Parts services.

FlightSafety International (Booth# N1921) FlightSafety International is the world’s leading aviation training company, and delivers more than a million hours of professional instruction each year. Thousands of pilots train to proficiency with them at 40 Learning Centers in the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom.

Training locations include their newest comprehensive center at historic Farnborough Airport just outside BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 49

PREVIEW

NBAA sonnel within the Jet Aviation group.

The facility includes eight large hangars with a total of 353,425 sq.ft.

(31,808 sq.m.).

London and their rotorcraft Learning Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

This year the company announced that it will increase its concentration on providing training programs for current and next generation aircraft.

This includes the ongoing expansion of FlightSafety’s worldwide Learning Center network, and the addition of new Level D qualified full flight simulators, training programs and services.

Jet Support Services, Inc. - JSSI® - (Booth# C7321) Founded in 1989, Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI®) is the world’s largest independent provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for aircraft engines and airframes.

JSSI® provides its clients with comprehensive, flexible and affordable financial tools for managing the often unpredictable costs of operating and maintaining nearly all types of turbinepowered aircraft, including jets, turboprops and helicopters. JSSI ® serves clients around the world by managing maintenance services through its international network of Technical Advisors.

Jet Aviation (Booth# N1932) Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) was founded in Switzerland in 1967 and has grown to become one of the leading Business Aviation services companies in the world. Close to 5,600 employees cater to client’s needs from 25 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America.

Jet Aviation has become the largest employer at Basel’s EuroAirport and with its work force of close to 1,700 professionals; the company represents the largest operation in terms of per50 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

tion services for civil aircraft. With tailored maintenance programs and state-of-the-art repair methods, Lufthansa Technik ensures the unbroken reliability and availability of its customers’ fleets. Lufthansa Technik is an internationally licensed maintenance, production and development organization.

Lufthansa Technik (Booth# C10416) Lufthansa Technik is one of the leading independent providers of maintenance, repair, overhaul and modifica-

StandardAero (Booth# N6116) StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent providers of services including engine and airframe repair and overhaul, engine component repair, engineering services, interior completions and paint applications. StandardAero serves a diverse array of customers in business and general aviation, airline, military, energy and VIP completions markets.

A Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) company, StandardAero provides a global service network of 12 primary facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Singapore and Australia, along with an additional 14 regionally located service and support locations. The company is celebrating its 100th year of industry leadership in 2011.

Universal Avionics Systems Corporation (Booth# N6108) Universal Avionics manufactures and markets an extensive line of advanced avionics. Product lines include the EFI-890R Flat Panel Display; a line of LCD Integrated Cockpit Displays; Vision-1® Synthetic Vision Systems; Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems; Cockpit Voice and Digital Flight Recorders; Radio Control Units; and the Application

Server Unit which integrates charts, electronic documents and checklists with displays systems.

In anticipation of the release of EGNOS SafetyOf-Life (SoL) service, Universal Avionics and its partners have logged hundreds of hours over the past two years flight testing this “corrected” GPS data with the company’s SBAScapable Flight Management System.

Universal Aviation (Booth# C11016, C11021) Since 1959, Universal has seen clients face incredible challenges, and delivered the solutions they need to prevail. To do this, they leverage what makes them unique: providing the complete global resources their customers need, all coordinated and executed by their team members around the world.

With a broad array of services and capabilities, Universal can help you overcome the unexpected – and the everyday challenges you face. The company offers knowledge, experience, and resources that come from more than 50 years in business, in which they’ve facilitated more than 2.5 million global trip legs.

Yankee Pacific Aerospace, Inc. (Booth# C7637) Yankee Pacific Aerospace companies provide engineered products and services to aircraft OEMs, major subcontractors, modification centers and aircraft owners and operators in the corporate, commercial, and government aviation markets.

Their product companies design, engineer, manufacture, certify and support proprietary components and systems for aircraft. Their services companies use proprietary processes and procedures to provide design, engineering, analysis, certification and program management services to the aviation industry.

✈

EASA Instructors for Sikorsky S-92 FlightSafety International, Farnborough, UK seeks Ground and Simulator Instructors for the Sikorsky S-92 program to instruct Initial, Recurrent and Enrichment Pilot Training courses.

Successful applicants will receive full training and a competitive benefits package.

Requirements • Hold or have held JAA/EASA ATPL(H) with IR(H) or CPL(H) with IR(H) • Have at least 1,000 hours flying experience as a helicopter pilot • Have at least 350 hours flying experience as a pilot of multipilot helicopters

flightsafety.com

Preferences • Previous Instructional Experience • S-92 or similar ratings • Search and Rescue • Offshore Operations Competitive Salary and Benefits For information or to apply, visit Careers at flightsafety.com, or call +44 (0) 1252 554 500.

Equal opportunity employer/M/F/D/V

A Berkshire Hathaway company

REPORT

CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS

PUSHING THE TECHNOLOGY ENVELOPE

By Marc Grangier

A

LL BUSINESS AIRCRAFT manufacturers continuously strive to develop and implement innovative technology into the design, development and manufacturing of new aircraft. Over time, in the result is a continuous evolution of aircraft quality from generation to generation. However, upgrades of the in-service fleet are not always done systematically, which is why a number of companies, generally headed by highly-gifted engineers, have developed their own upgrades for pushing the technology envelope and enhancing the value and performance of existing aircraft. These upgrades concern custom modifications, aircraft engineering, winglets and performance systems, but also engines, airframe modifications and even avionics retrofits.

At a time when a number of OEMs are experiencing a slowdown in sales and are obliged to scale back production of some of their new models, the demand for improving existing aircraft is increasing. Indeed, many customers are seeking solutions that allow them to operate their aircraft with the performance and efficiency of the new models, but at a fraction of price.

UPGRADE

The Blackhawk upgrade package for the Grand Caravan includes a factory-new 850 shp PT6A-42A engine.

Engine Modifications Founded in 1999 to provide engine performance solutions for turboprops, Blackhawk Modifications has evolved to become the world’s largest nonOEM buyer of new Pratt & Whitney (P&W) turboprop engines.

“Blackhawk’s expertise and efforts are focused on enabling turboprop operators to get greater performance and economy from their aircraft,” says Blackhawk President and CEO Jim Allmon.

For example, the company is now offering a series of XP upgrades for King Air aircraft. To date, it has completed more than 340 such upgrades of King Air 90- and 200-series aircraft.

Recently, it delivered an XP135 upgrade of a Hawker Beechcraft King

52 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

Air C90B for B&G Aircraft, LLC. Blackhawk’s XP135 upgrade replaced the 550-shaft-horsepower (shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-21 turboprop engines on B&G Aircraft’s King Air C90B with two factory-new, 750-shp PT6-135A engines, which carry newengine warranties from P&WC. No airframe modifications are required for the XP135 upgrade, which has received Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC). “The XP135 upgrade has delivered everything that Blackhawk said it would, and then some,” said Bill Tharp of ADD Systems. “We’ve seen an increase in true airspeed, a good, steady improvement in climb rate through 20,000 feet and higher, and an improvement in single-engine performance. In addition, passengers have noticed that the cabin is quieter on takeoff, as we now take off at 1,900 revolutions per minute instead of the previous 2,200 rpm.”

The XP135 upgrade offers King Air operators lower operating costs and increased resale value. It includes a flight manual supplement, instructions for continued airworthiness, a P&WC engine logbook, a Blackhawk logbook case, a cycle book, as well as a prepaid enrollment in CAMP Systems’ aircraft maintenance tracking program and The Trend Group Turbine Trend Analysis program.

Aerodynamic and Propulsion Improvements Since its founding in 1973, Raisbeck Engineering, Inc. has been busy conceiving, engineering, designing, flighttesting and certifying performance improvement systems for business and commercial jets.

Founder Jim Raisbeck has a big footprint in our industry, having influenced many business aircraft designs, including the design and production of the first supercritical wings to enter service in the United States for Rockwell International Sabreliner 65series. He also designed improved wings, flap systems, and drag-reducing fuselage stowage lockers for the Learjet 35/36/31/25/24/23 series, and performance enhancement systems for the entire Beechcraft King Air family. Raisbeck products can even be found on the Hawker/Beechcraft King Air production line in Wichita, Kansas.

Recently, Raisbeck Engineering and Hartzell Propeller teamed up to develop and certify the first Business Aviation turbine propeller using practical swept-wing theory as an integral part of its design. The effort culminated in the FAA certification of the Raisbeck/Hartzell Swept Blade Turbofan Propeller for the King Air 200/B200/B200GT. The new Swept Blade Propeller provides over 1,090 feet of improvement in FAA published takeoff performance, in contrast to the factory standard propeller.

After Dornier stopped the production of its 228, Ruag Aviation bought the production rights and, in 2010, certified a New Generation version featuring more powerful Honeywell TPE 331-10 engines, new 5-blade composite propellers and an advanced glass cockpit. The company is marketing this aircraft for charter and special missions operations.

The move is paying off as New Central Airservice (NCA) recently enlarged its fleet with the purchase of a new Dornier 228 NG. Delivery is scheduled for early December this year. NCA currently operates four Dornier 228 aircraft – three units of Dornier 228-212 and one Dornier 228 NG. NCA cites the Dornier 228’s versatility and its proven reliability as driving factors behind its purchasing decision. The second Dornier 228 NG will be delivered in a passenger config-

The technical principles behind these new propellers center around the sweep of the quarter-chord of the blades, permitting larger diameter for increased thrust without increasing the noise levels. Although these princiles have been long understood and respected when applied to an aircraft’s wings, they have been largely neglected in business class turboprops like the King Air family. This is due to their relatively low cruise Mach number (around M= 0.5). However, the rotating propellers see typical Mach numbers in all phases of flight of M= 0.8 to 0.9 and more. Since the introduction of the Swept Blade Turbofan Propellers in January of 2013, Raisbeck has experienced positive sales of both the props and EPIC systems, wih many of these sales happening outside of the US.

Remanufacturing and Improving Legacy Aircraft Nextant, a pioneer in remanufactured business jets, recently unveiled its latest model, the Nextant 400XTi, which will continue to retail at $4.95 million. Building on the proven capabilities of its predecessors (the aircraft is derived from the Hawker 400A/XP – see our article in BART No 146), the 400XTi offers near-transcontinental range (2,003nm / 3,710 km) with a bigger, quieter cabin (down 9dB, the quietest in its class). In addition, a new auto-throttle saves fuel and reduces pilot workload. Jet Aviation Geneva will provide maintenance services for Nextant’s fleet of aircraft across the continent, while Jet Aviation Singapore will provide services for aircraft based in Asia.

uration to support the company in its on-going expansion.

“The fully integrated cockpit of the Dornier 228 NG has been wellreceived by New Central Airservice, which operates in Tokyo’s dense airspace,” said Wolfgang Kofen, Regional Sales Director at RUAG Aviation. “The company has expressed an interest in undertaking a complete fleet exchange towards the Dornier 228 NG in the forthcoming years.”

Kofen goes on to point out that the Dornier 228 NG, as operated by NCA, is an ideal aircraft for connecting the Tokyo Izu islands with the city: “It combines state-of-the-art technology in terms of avionics, aerodynamics, economic efficiency, performance and operational layout,” he says.

The high-wing turboprop aircraft provides an unobstructed view of the

EXPERTS

Blackhawk is offering a series of XP upgrades for King Air aircraft (top).

Nextant is thriving by making old planes new again (left).

RUAG Aviation NG version of the Dornier 228 featuring new 5-blade composite propellers.

BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 53

REPORT

WINGLETS

Hawker 800A retrofitted with winglets (top).

The Vari Eze was the first aircraft to fly with winglets (center).

Aviation Partners Falcon 50 Spiroid Winglets (bottom).

CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS

ground and, in combination with advanced sensor equipment, fulfills both day and night missions and under any weather conditions.

Last Summer, IKHANA Aircraft Services (IKHANA), based in Murrieta, California, announced the delivery of a DHC-6-200HG Twin Otter aircraft with IKHANA’s RWMI DHC-6200HG increased gross weight STC to G-Sky Aviation, a division of Golosky Services Ltd. The DHC-6-200HG, which is an FAA and Transport Canada approved Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), increases the payload capabilities of the basic DHC-6200 aircraft by approximately 900 pounds, or nearly eight percent, to 12,500 pounds. Operations are allowed with the full 620 shaft horsepower of its PT6A-27 engines, effectively transforming the operation of a DHC-6-200 to match the capabilities of a DHC-6300 aircraft. IKHANA has been a key provider of enhancements for the DHC-6 Twin Otter fleet with several products, including the RWMI DHC-6 Re-Lifed Wing Box, RWMI DHC-6 ReLifed Fuselage, RWMI DHC-6 Re-Lifed Flight Controls, enhanced air conditioning, new avionics, VIP amenities, and cargo handling.

Winglets Undoubtedly, although over the last four decades winglets have attracted interest, it has only been in the last five years that Busines Aviation has been experiencing a winglet invasion.

Why the infatuation with winglets?

Simple, they improve aircraft efficiency.

Winglets are designed to reduce the strength of the wingtip vortices by introducing a physical constraint in the normal airflow field, which relocates the wingtip vortices above and outward from their normal location.

The relocated vortices become considerably smaller, thereby reducing the induced drag and decreasing the fuel burn.

In 1974, before Dr. Whitcomb published his general design approach to winglets, the first aircraft to fly with winglets was the Vari-Eze, designed

by Burt Rutan. Over the years, a number of Business Aviation aircraft have been equipped with winglets.However, despite their popularity, there was an

54 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

anti-winglet crowd including Cessna and Dassault Aviation, who originally opposed such non-traditional modifications to their planar wing designs, claiming that a properly designed wing didn’t require such devices.

Additionally, critics noted that that bent wings were more expensive to manufacture than flat wings and doubted if they were worth the trouble. That being said, these naysayers have become fewer and fewer. In fact, both Cessna and Dassault have now changed their minds and joined the growing number of OEM winglet users.

Retrofitting winglets to existing business jets is also a fast-growing market and several companies are now offering retrofits. One such company, Aviation Partners, began designing, producing and marketing its own winglet system, Blended Winglets, in 1991. Blended Winglets validate the earlier studies of Dr. Whitcomb and NASA by reducing the wingtip vortex, resulting in less drag, lower fuel burn rates, and superior climb and cruise performance.

The Raytheon Aircraft Company, in conjunction with APB, is manufacturing winglets for the Hawker 800 series aircraft. When asked why people want to add winglets, James E. Schuster, Aviation Partner CEO, said it is mainly because of the performance benefits one gets on the airplane (fuel, speed, range, etc.), but also because it gives the aircraft a sexy, unique look on the tarmac.

According to Schuster, winglets incorporate a large radius and a smooth chord variation in the wing-towinglet transition area, allowing for optimum aerodynamic loading and

BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION | OCTOBER 21, 22, 23 | ORLANDO, FL

Learn More at

www.nbaa.org

REPORT

CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS

avoiding vortex concentrations that produce drag. By reducing drag, Blended Winglets increase fuel efficiency by 7.3% and boost range 180nm (20 to 30 min flight) in the Hawker 800 series. The Hawker 800SP will climb quickly to optimum altitude, which will be at least 2000 feet higher as a result of drag reduction.

ULTIMATELY

After some reserve Cessna rejoined the winglet squad.

Citation Jet with Active Winglets (top) and Winglet Technology Citation X (left).

Blended Winglets also enhance longitudinal and directional stability, thereby providing better handling in turbulent atmospheric conditions. The stall fences have been replaced with vortilons, which are small surfaces – two inches high and placed chordwise, just under the leading edge of the wing, to effectively control span-wise airflows.

To date, Blended Winglets are flying on over 5,300 aircraft and, according to Schuster, have saved approximately 3 billion gallons of fuel. Total incremental installed weight of the Performance Enhancement System is less than 112 lbs. for the Hawker 800 and 118 lbs. for the 800XP. More good news came at last EBACE, where Aviation Partners announced that its Blended Winglets were now flying on more than 230 Falcon 2000, 900 and 50 series aircraft.

The High-Mach Blended Winglets, first certified for the Falcon 2000 series in May 2009, are now FAA approved for all Falcon 2000, 900 and 50 series aircraft, and EASA approved for all 2000 and 900 series aircraft. The 230 plus Falcon aircraft are split between API retrofits and factory-new LX models.

In addition, API reports that it recently received FAA and EASA approval for steep approach operations on the Falcon 900 aircraft equipped with Blended Winglets. API’s Winglets for the Falcon 50, which received FAA STC in September 2012, are the same High Mach Blended Winglets currently available on the 2000 and 900 series

56 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

aircraft. The Winglets provide a drag reduction, and corresponding range increase, of five to seven percent at typical intermediate to long range cruise speeds.

Installation of API Blended Winglets on Falcons is available through API’s global network of authorized installers. Retrofits can be accomplished in Europe at Dassault Falcon Service in Le Bourget, France and TAG Aviation in Geneva, Switzerland.

More so, last August Duncan Aviation announced it had delivered its 56th pair of Aviation Partners’ winglets on Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 aircraft. The modification is often paired with a C inspection, in addition to or alongside a service bulletin for the drybay wing tank modification so as not to increase the aircraft’s downtime to more than a total of three to five weeks.

Winglet Technology is another company developing its own winglets.

Founded in 2001, the company has successfully completed and owns a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that permits the installation of the patented Elliptical Winglet design on the Cessna Citation X business jet.

According to CEO Robert Kiser, the patented Elliptical Winglet design ensures that lift distribution closely matches optimum elliptical lift distribution along the span of the wing, while minimizing the increase in wing loading.

Winglet Technology and Cessna have collaborated to develop the world’s fastest winglet for the world’s

fastest non-military aircraft with a top speed of .92 Mach. Winglet Technology worked closely with Cessna Aircraft Company to develop a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), permitting the installation of the Elliptical Winglets on the Cessna Citation X business jet. The STC has been approved for pre-172 (with and without 400 lb gross weight increase) and post-173 serial numbers. Winglet Technology received FAA approval of Citation X Elliptical Winglet STC in June 2009. Since then, the Citation X Elliptical Winglet STC has been approved by EASA (Europe), TCCA (Canada), ANAC (Brazil), and DGAC (Mexico).

Tamarack Aerospace, comprised of a group of aeronautical, structural and mechanical engineers working on Type Certificate and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) projects, has been pursuing a number of STC upgrade projects. One of its latest projects is its Active Technology Load Alleviation System – ATLAS for short – for Cessna Citation Jets. Last June, the company set an unofficial world record when its Cessna 525 departed Sandpoint, ID (KSZT) and flew nonstop to White Plains, NY (KHPN). The record breaking flight covered 2,160 statute miles, and took six hours and 16 minutes to complete (The previous distance record for the weight class was 2,075.98 statute miles, previously set in 2006 by a Cessna Citation 501 flying from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL).

“We didn’t modify the fuel tanks,” says Hal Gates, Engineering, Tamarack Aerospace Group. “Our modification takes place outboard of the CJ wing tanks, and doesn’t add any additional capacity. The range we demonstrated is due entirely to aerodynamic efficiency”.

TAG Aviation is carrying out the retrofit.

Retrofit, Modification and Upgrade Solutions Said simply, it’s a good time for retrofitting. :”It’s a good time for retrofitting the avionics in legacy aircraft,” says Tim Rayl, senior director of marketing for Rockwell Collins Business and Regional Aircraft Systems. “Cockpit display retrofits, featuring all-digital avionics, are putting legacy aircraft on par with the newer models, so owners are reconsidering retrofits to boost the value of their existing assets, extend avionics lifecycle and enhance overall aircraft performance.”

Cockpit retrofits can take the form of gutting the existing cockpit to install alldigital glass instrumentation or upgrading communications, navigation, surveillance and air-traffic management (CNS/ATM) capabilities. For legacy aircraft owners and new entrants, whichever level of retrofit chosen can improve safety and efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, increase reliability, and provide flight crews with enhanced situational awareness.

The defining moment for cockpit retrofits goes back five years ago when flat-panel display systems (FPDS) became both certifiable and affordable to the operator. Achieving supplemental type certification (STC) for a new system installation, however, involves a significant cost to the developer, ranging from US$35,000 for a single element in a FPDS, to US$150,000 to US$250,000 for an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), to several million US dollars for a complete glass cockpit with new autopilot and flight management system (FMS).

Honeywell is also highlighting retrofit, modification and upgrade (RMU) solutions. “We are seeing significant growth in demand across our entire RMU portfolio,” says Rob Wilson, Honeywell’s President of the Business and General Aviation Division. “We are bringing

cost-effective, easy-to-install, certified technologies to the entire airframe to help operators extend lifecycles, meet changing regulatory and customer demands, and ultimately get more from their fleets.”

Honeywell recently completed the first delivery to the Middle East of its all-digital, full-High Definition (HD) Ovation Select Cabin Management System (CMS) on a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), as well as the fitting of a system on TAG Aviation’s new Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft (in partnership with Jet Aviation St. Louis). Delivery of the aircraft is expected in 2014. Wilson also stresses that its FAA and EASA-certified Ovation Select system is scalable and customizable to retrofit any business jet.

In addition, operators flying Honeywell’s C-Series CMS can now take advantage of a new system refresh

by Honeywell that brings full HD to their cabins. The upgrade enables CSeries users to take advantage of HD video and audio from onboard music, Blu-ray and PlayStation hardware for the first time to dramatically enhance the passenger experience.

Honeywell also promotes several other avionics upgrades, including a new range of SMART upgrades with discount pricing for the Cessna Citation X that improve navigation, pilot situational awareness, connectivity and safety. Upgrades include FMS 6.1, satcom and the newly EASA-certified Primus Elite glass cockpit and SmartLanding and SmartRunway safety upgrades.

The FAA and EASA certification of Honeywell’s Primus Epic-based EASy II flight deck for Dassault Falcon F2000 and F7X aircraft also opens the door new opportunities. EASy II offers operators a natural upgrade path for their EASy avionics that brings the latest safety applications to the cockpit, including Honeywell’s SmartView

Synthetic Vision System (SVS), SmartRunway, and Automatic Dependence Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) Out capability. Last summer saw the first Dassault Falcon F2000EX and F7X retrofits of EASy II be completed. Wilson also believes that the recent EASA certification for Flight Management System (FMS) 6.1 on the Global Express that adds WAAS LPV capability will contribute to spur sales, as well as the EASA certification for the Cessna Citation X, Falcon 900EX and Gulfstream GIV/GV. Interior and Exterior Design Modifications Though it doesn’t directly concern aircraft modifications, it is however interesting to mention here a new app launched by Jet Aviation St. Louis for customers willing to design or redesign the interior and exterior of their business jets. Now available to download free from iTunes on the App Store, the iDesignJets app enables customers to choose the color, fabric, design themes and floor plans for the interiors of their aircraft, as well as designs and colors for the exterior.

The app currently applies to Bombardier Challenger jets, but the company is working to expand it to Boeing, Embraer, Falcon, Global, Gulfstream and Hawker business jets.

The app currently works with iPads.

“We’ve just released this free app and we already have our first customer using it to design a new Challenger interior,” said Chuck Krugh, senior vice president and general manager, Jet Aviation St. Louis, adding that the company was also working on such upgrades as360degree interior and exterior views that demonstrate the customers’ design selections from all angles.

✈

RETROFIT

All digital full HD Ovation Select Cabin Management System by Honeywell (left).

Boeing 737 interior by Jet Aviation (right).

BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 57

PREVIEW

By Jack Carroll

T

HERE IS NO SUCH THING as the perfect engine. At least for the time being. But the magicians and sorcerers one finds in the world of aircraft engines persist in their somewhat Sisyphean pursuit, which while difficult to the extreme has been far from futile, having produced many, many marvelous astounding, actually advances in engine technology over the years. All spurred on by ever more demanding customers, missions, restrictions and, yes, bosses. What have you done for me lately? They want less of this, more of that. And it does not end. Lower fuel consumption, less engine weight, far fewer emissions (“Green” being top-of-mind for any self-respecting engine designer. ) and while you’re at it just squeeze some more power out it.

NBAA

THE ENGINE QUEST CONTINUES

not chance guesses about what they might say at NBAA, but since engine development takes years and years, don’t expect too many surprises. But one thing we know is that they are keeping their NBAA news releases closely guarded until it’s show time once again on Tuesday, October 22, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the ad slogan goes, or went, “What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Or something like that.

But, of course, that does not apply to news releases issued at NBAA; secrets no more. Now, where to start? Well, since we started this saga with P&WC, let us continue.

CEREMONY

Beechcraft marked its 7,000 delivery of a PT6A - powered King Air 350i at NBAA Convention in 2012.

We’re not exaggerating here; it’s just the way things are. And while delivering on such demands may sound impossible, somehow it gets done. An excellent case in point: Pratt & Whitney Canada, now in its 85th year, was actually built upon the foundation of a tough little turboprop engine, the revered PT6A-6 which first powered the Beechcraft King Air 90 when it was introduced in 1963. That engine produced 450 shaft horsepower. Today, on its 50th anniversary, the PT6A series spans a power range from 500 to 1,700 shaft horsepower, has a 40 percent better power-to-weight ratio and up to 20 percent lower specific fuel consumption; those impressive facts coming from Denis Parisien, P&WC’s Vice

58 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

President, General Aviation, who adds: “There are few machines invented 50 years ago that remain as relevant as the PT6A engine, nor any that continue to still have a promising future. It is one of the industry’s greatest success stories.”

If not the greatest. Thanks to all the brilliant engineers laboring behind the scenes over the past half century up there in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada.

Go ahead, applaud,while no one is looking; they deserve it.

The Engine Makers Pass In Review Pre-NBAA. This series of “snapshots” of the business aircraft engine manufacturers should provide an overview of where they are at this point in time. We will

PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA In addition to celebrating its 85 th year in business and the 50th anniversary of the PT6A, P&WC reached another milestone, announced at EAA AirVenture 2013, or “Oshkosh” as it’s more commonly called. Beechcraft, which was P&WC’s launch customer for the PT6A, accepted the delivery of the company’s 80,000 th engine, a PT6A-60A, to power the King Air 350i.

And backing up just a bit, in 2012 Beechcraft marked its 7,000th delivery of a PT6A-powered King Air turboprop. The King Air series has been in continuous production since 1964. Its first was a King Air 90, powered by a PT6A-6. And as just about everyone knows, the PT6A has become the

most popular engine series in all market segments of aviation. Why? Says Denis Parisien, “The simplicity of design, versatility and dependability of the PT6 engine have made it one of the most enduring in aviation history.

We constantly take advantage of major advancements in aerodynamics, materials and overall design advances and techniques to enhance the PT6A.” And that, by now, should be obvious. The little engine that could. And did.

For the record, with over 52,000 engines produced and some 130 applications on business, commuter, utility and trainer aircraft, helicopters and more, the PT6 engine fleet has logged over 390 million hours in flight time.

No at least one reader out there must be wondering what that might equate to in terms understandable. Well, someone at P&WC figured it out: More than 250,000 trips around the moon and back in a typical PT6A-powered aircraft cruising at 270 ktas. No more, no less. (That calculation has yet to be attributed to anyone at P&WC. Please raise your hand, or hands, as the case may be.)

P&WC Turns On To Turbofans.

The JT15D was the company’s first tubofan, producing a thrust range of 2,200 to 3,400 lbs of thrust. The engine that started it all is now out of production, but certainly well supported. But before Michael Perodeau, Vice President Corporate Aviation & Militatry Programs, enlightened us on the company’s turbofan activities since then, he brought us back to the beloved PT6A for a moment with a reminder. “You know with all the improvements and increases in the power range of the series over the years, the PT6A’s size has changed very little. They’re a bit longer, but the diameters are just about the same. It’s really amazing.” Did we mention magicians earlier?

To take care of all those engines P&WC keeps turning out, it has a global support network featuring 30 P&WC owned maintenance centers, 100 field reps, a 24/7 “Customer First” Center, advanced engine diagnostics and a pool of rental and exchange engines that Perodeau tells us is the industry’s largest.

For more information on Pratt & Whitney Canada, visit ww.pwc.ca/en. If only to wish them Happy Birthdays.

SNECMA (SAFRAN) And here’s an engine that needs no introduction! It’s the 2013 Silvercrest engine that has been promising so much for so many years, but as we know that’s what happens when one is developing a “clean sheet” engine. In the Silvercrest’s timetable, core design and development started in 2007, followed by core testing in 2008, full-scale engine development in 2010, the first engine ground test in 2012, start of flight tests in 2013 and the company is looking ahead to engine certification by EASA in 2015, followed closely by the FAA, in time to give its launch customer, Cessna Aircraft, a powerful boost when the 4,000 nm Citation Longitude enters service in 2017 along with its shiny new 11,000 lb thrust Silvercrest engine.

And who is Snecma anyway, to be developing what it calls “a quantum leap” engine? Well one thing that should be very encouraging to any prospect for a new engine rated at 9,500 to 12,000 pounds of thrust is the fact that the company has 40 years of experience with the CFM56 turbofan, which it claims is “the best-selling engine in the history of commercial aviation, with more than 24,000 delivered to date, which have logged over 600 million flight hours.” (The CFM56 turbofan is via the joint venture with GE, CFM International.) CFM is also developing LEAP, which is also touted as “already the best selling new-generation commercial aircraft engine.”

And while we are writing about business aircraft, the credentials we see here are quite impressive. Silvercrest is, of course, Snecma’s first foray into the Business Aviation sector. I think they’ll do just fine, thank you.

Snecma’s target market is the new upcoming large, long range business jets that are expected to enter service in 2014. Going back to its timeline, circa 2008, the core demonstrator tests showed that the Silvercrest engine will deliver performance in excess of the initial goal of 15 percent fuel burn improvement over current engines in the same thrust range and 50 percent Nox margin versus the ICAO’s CAEP/6 standard. As to noise, Snecma plans to reduce it to 20 EPNdB versus Stage 4. Certainly, the folks at Cessna must have been impressed. And perhaps Dassault Falcon will be as well, as it has long

been rumored that Silvercrest engines will be the choice to power its new Falcon “5X.” And that’s something that just might be announced at the fast-approaching NBAA Convention.

For more information on the Silvercrest program, visit www.snecma.com/silvercrest.

General Electric The current “Star” at GE Aviation would have to be the GE Passport engine in development, especially since it recently completed its first full engine test. According to Shawn O’Day, GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation Marketing Manager, “The first engine tested on June 24 and achieved full thrust that same day which was amazing. We’re all pleased with the engine’s performance as we continue testing, our next step being altitude testing beginning this month.”

The Passport reached more than 18,000 lbs of standard day, sea-level takeoff thrust. This launched an extensive certification testing program consisting of more than 4,000 ground hours and 8,000 cycles of testing enroute to certification. Eight Passport engines and one core will be involved in the certification program, with flight testing on GE’s flying testbed scheduled for 2014 and certification expected in 2015.

According to O’Day, the engine certification program follows three years of validation testing. “GE Aviation has conducted validation tests on the fan blisk design, including two fan bladeout rig tests, ingestion tests and a fan aero rig test to demonstrate fan efficiency. Testing is complete on the third eCore demonstrator and we’ve logged more than 300 hours of testing on our

NEWBORN

Spinner Cone assembly of the Silvercrest at Snecma.

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PREVIEW

eCore demonstrators to date. It’s all going very well at this point.”

The GE Passport engine for Bombardier’s forthcoming ultra-long range Global 7000 and Global 8000 business aircraft will each produce 16,500 lbs of thrust and will incorporate advanced technologies and materials to provide 8 percent lower specific fuel consumption than other engines in its class, margin to CAEP/6 emissions and to Stage 4 noise regulations. Among the new engine’s technologies are a composite fan case to reduce weight, a 52-inch front fan for lower cabin noise and vibration, technologies from GE’s eCore suite to lower emissions and improve fuel efficiency, and a unique super finish on the high pressure combustor blades and blisks for enhanced fuel efficiency.

The Passport’s integrated propulsion system from Nexcelle, a joint venture between GE and SAFRAN, will feature a slim-line nacelle with outward opening cowl to reduce weight and drag, while allowing for easy maintenance access and high dispatch availability. Says O’Day: “GE Aviation is known for the reliabilty of its engines and the new Passport will carry on that tradition of world-class reliability and product support that will set it apart from the competition.”

EXPECTED

The GE Honda Aero HF120 is nearing FAA certification (left).

The GE Passport engine will power the 7000 and Global 8000 (right).

GE HONDA AERO HF120 NEARS CERTIFICATION Meanwhile, the GE Honda Aero’s HF120 turbofan engine, the result of a 50/50 merger between GE Aviation and Honda Aero, Inc., is nearing FAA certification, having submitted more than 95 percent of the required certification documents to the FAA and 85 percent

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NBAA

already approved. A total of 13 HF120 engines have accumulated more than 7,300 hours and more than 9,700 cycles during development and certification testing at nine different test locations.

This included 3,000 cycles on one engine as part of its endurance validation program, which simulates flight cycles, and the engine will serve as the fleet leader, well ahead of entry-into-service.

In recent months the HF120 also successfully completed crosswind testing and the 150-hour block endurance test.

As Terry Sharp, President of GE Honda Aero Engines explains, “The 150-hour block endurance test is very difficult and puts an engine through conditions it will never experience in the field. We are extremely pleased with the engine’s performance during the tests and the condition of the HF120’s endurance test hardware. We now expect engine type certification by the FAA in the fourth quarter.” After that happens, in addition to supplying engines for the HondaJet, GE Honda Aero will be able to seek out OEM prospects needing a dependable, fuel-efficient turbofan in the 1,000 to 3,500 lb thrust class.

For more information on the HF120, visit www.gehonda.com; for details on the HondaJet, see www.hondajet.honda.com Following the success of its legendary TFE731 series, Honeywell’s major money-maker for over a decade has been its HTF7000 turbofan engine, originally designed to power Bombardier’s Challenger 300 business aircraft. The engine was certified in 2002 and made its debut after more than 27,000 hours of testing, “to ensure reliability,” a spokesman duly noted. According to

the same person, the HTF7000 features a significantly lower parts count and up to a 30 percent lower cost of ownership than competitors in its class. Combining ISA+15C flat rating with best-in-class fuel efficiency is accomplished with a wide chord damperless fan, SLE compressor airfoil technology, a low-emissions, effusion-cooled combustor, transpiration cooled HTP blades and a dual channel FADEC. The HTF7000 is available with a full nacelle and thrust reverser.

Focusing on rising maintenance costs, the company claims that individual LRUs can be replaced in just 20 minutes or less on average, with no shimming, rigging or adjusting, using standard hand tools “with nothing more than an idle power peak check.

QEC engine changes can be done in just three hours with two technicians.

Using MSG-3 protocol and 39 strategically placed borescope ports for 360degree visibility to all gas path components, the HTF7000 is a true “on condition” engine.

The HTF7000 joined the “million hour club” shortly after the 600th engine had been delivered. Today the HTF7000 family has comfortably passed the 1.5 million hour mark–with a 99+ percent dispatch reliability—and is still climbing. And it now has a new family member, announced at EBACE. The new HTF7350 was selected to power Bombardier’s new super midsize Challenger 350. Delivering a 7+ percent thrust increase over its predecessor, the HTF7350 features Honeywell’s latest systems designed to lower fuel consumption and reduce emissions. For more information, visit www.honeywell.com/aero.

ROLLS-ROYCE: HIGH END POWER LIFTER. Possessing one of the most highly recognizable brands in the world–perhaps the most recognizable, RollsRoyce engines have occupied high end of the “heavy iron” market since OEMs first starting building them. It is not by accident that Gulfstreams have long been referred to as “Rolls-Royces of the skies.” They run with the right crowd apparently. In fact, the company has sold more than 3,000 engines to Gulfstream over the past 50 years. And the latest member of its BR700 family, the BR725, powers Gulfstream’s flagship, the ultra-long range G650. Not surprising at all, old chap.

Rolls-Royce recently congratulated Bombardier Aerospace on the delivery of the 500th Global aircraft; all powered

by Rolls-Royce BR710 engines. The aircraft, a Global 6000, was delivered at Bombardier’s Global Completion Center in Montreal. It was also enrolled in the Rolls-Royce Corporate Care® engine maintenance service program, joining more than 1,300 other RollsRoyce powered aircraft. As Gulfstream Executive Vice President, Customer

Business & Service, Civil Small & Medium engines, Scott Shannon, noted: “Through our CorporateCare program, operators enjoy increased operational availability and aircraft value simply by removing all engine maintenance risks.” And at least one more source of stress from you life.

Basically, CorporateCare offers a comprehensive fixed-cost, full-risk transfer, corporate aircraft engine maintenance management program, available for new and in-service Rolls-Royce AE3007, BR725, BR725 and Tay powered aircraft. According to Shannon, “More than 75 percent of all new delivery Bombardier Global aircraft are enrolled in the program, which is also highly valued in the pre-owned market, as it is the only program for Rolls-Royce powered aircraft that increases resale value while reducing time on the market.”

Sounds like ‘win-win’ to this observer.

Finally, the AE3007 turbofan core is derived from the AE1107 engine and is in the 8,000 lb thrust class. The AE3007 was developed to provide a turbofan member of the AE common core family for the growing medium-large business jet and regional jet markets. It powers

the Citation X, which won the Collier trophy in 1996 as well as over 900 Embraer ERJ 135s and 145s currently in service. The civil AE3007 is flat-rated at 7,580 lbs thrust, while a growth version of the engine, the AE3007H, developed for the “Global Hawk” drone is in flight test with the U.S. Air Force. For information on Rolls-Royce civil products, visit www.rolls-royce.com. For information on the Global Hawk, that’s classified; you have no need to know, after all.

✈

POWER

Powering the Legacy 650, the Rolls-Royce AE3007 was developed to power the medium-large business and regional jets.

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NBAA PREVIEW

By Steve Nichols

This year s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Conference and Exhibition, being held in Las Vegas from October 22 to 24, promises to showcase the very latest in avionics.

AVIONICS

AVIONICS SUPPLIERS UP THEIR GAME AT NBAA

I

ndustry giants like Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and Garmin, will be joined by a host of other industry specialists, all keen to show their wares to the 25,000 expected attendees. So what can we expect this year?

Honeywell (N4100) will be showcasing its Primus Elite (DU875 and DU885) integrated flightdeck. This is available for retrofit and forward-fit platforms and enables Jeppesen electronic charts and maps, video display

AWARE

Gulfstream PlaneDeck Cockpit featuring the Honeywell Primus Elite (top) and Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion deck (center) give pilots extensive situational awareness.

capabilities and optional XM® graphical weather through a cursor control interface.

Primus Elite is ideal for operators looking to move to a glass cockpit solution.

The booth will feature Gulfstream and Dassault cockpit displays with Primus Elite, CDSR (Control Display System/Retrofit) and Primus APEX. Satellite communication products on the stand include the latest high-speed Ka-band hardware, the AMT 700 antenna, HD-710 Satcom, CNX200 router, Aspire 200 and the AMT 1800 antenna.

Other products include Honeywell’s Flight Management Systems and Ovation Select cabin management system, with the latest audio and video on demand (AVOD) capabilities.

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Watch out for Honeywell’s other innovative product lines, including SmartRunway/SmartLanding, IntuVue 3D Weather Radar, Wide Area Augmentation System, Local Performance with Vertical Guidance (WAAS/ LPV) and its Synthetic Vision System (SVS).

Visitors will also be able to find out more about Honeywell’s global MRO network and services, including Honeywell’s Avionics Protection Plan (HAPP).

Rockwell Collins (C9806) will be demonstrating both its Proline Fusion and Proline 21 integrated cockpits.

Pro Line Fusion was designed from the beginning to provide pilots with everything they need to fly safer at their fingertips, by delivering a completely new flight-deck experience.

Featuring high-resolution landscape displays, graphical flight planning, MultiScan™weather radar, and the first certified Synthetic Vision System (SVS) displayed on the Head-up Guidance Systems (HGS™), giving pilots extensive situational awareness to operate safely and efficiently in complex flying conditions.

Pro Line 21 is Rockwell Collins’ integrated flight deck system, which is scaled to fit twin-engine turboprop aircraft through wide body jets and rotary wing platforms.

The system brings advanced features like 3-D flight plan mapping and an Integrated Flight Information System, which includes geographical boundaries/water features, electronic charting and real-time data link weather graphics.

The Rockwell Collins booth will also feature the HGS-3500 compact head-up display.

Passengers haven’t been forgotten either – Rockwell Collins’ Skybox solution , which allows for the wireless streaming of content to iPad, Android and other devices in the cabin, will feature heavily. NBAA will also see an enhancement to its Venue cabin management system whereby passengers can stream personal content to their tablets.

It will also be showing a software enhancement to its VIP offering, allowing for greater customization, plus launching Airshow 500, which is customizable and at a cost-effective price point.

Visitors can also meet members of Rockwell Collins’ customer support team and Ascend flight services group, who will be available to answer any questions.

Garmin (C9843) will feature the G5000, G3000 and possibly G1000 integrated avionics suites. The GTN 750 fully integrated GPS/NAV/COM/MFD solution will also feature.

Garmin announced in August that it is expanding its portfolio of flight deck upgrades to include a G5000 modernization program for the popular Beechjet 400A and Hawker 400XP. The STC certification is targeted for approval in 2015 and will be available from select Garmin dealers.

The Garmin G5000 integrated avionics suite incorporates graphical weath-

one acting as the primary flight display (PFD) and the other as a multi-function display. These are available in a choice of 10- or 12 inch flat-panel LCDs, with a 15-inch MFD available as an option.

Garmin also expects to have a couple of major announcements around the time of the show, but were keeping their lips firmly sealed as we went to press.

in the installation and support of Universal Avionics’ equipment.

California-based Sandel Avionics is celebrating its 15th anniversary and will be holding a “happy hour” at its booth (C9340) on Wednesday October 23 at 4pm.

It will be promoting its full line of products, including the ST3400 fixedwing TAWS, SN3500 three-inch

er, synthetic vision, traffic, terrain and other avoidance systems in a simple, three-panel display unit featuring 12inch, high-resolution liquid crystal displays. The G5000 system can replace an entire avionics package in a Beechjet which, due to its advanced technology, is estimated to increase useful load by an average of 200 pounds.

The Beechjet G5000 STC is expected to be available in 2015 and special incentive pricing will be available to operators that pre book their Beechjet Garmin G5000 installation.

Elliott Aviation (C8143) will be displaying its first Garmin G5000 mock up at its booth. This follows their recent achievement of starting on their 100th Garmin G1000 King Air installation.

The G3000, launched at NBAA Orlando in October 2009, was promoted as being the first touchscreen-controlled glass flight deck for Part 23 light turbine aircraft.

The GTC 570 glass touchscreen controller serves as the primary point of entry for the G3000 system. It features a desktop-style, icon-driven interface giving you access to systems and sensors with fewer keystrokes or page sequences.

The G1000 all-glass avionics suite has made its mark on the general aviation and biz jet market. In its standard form the G1000 comprises two LCD displays,

Universal Avionics is focusing on its partnership with its authorized dealer, Duncan Aviation. They have launched a technologically-advanced flight deck upgrade program for the Dassault Falcon 900B. The cockpit upgrade replaces 25 legacy avionics instruments and significantly improves reliability and situational awareness.

The avionics suite includes: ❍ Five high-resolution EFI-890R Advanced Flight Displays, including a dedicated Engine Interface Unit (EIU) ❍ Dual Vision-1® Synthetic Vision Systems ❍ Dual Application Server Units (ASU) for electronic charts, checklists and EDocs ❍ Dual UNS-1Fw SBAS-Flight Management Systems (FMS) (optional third UNS-1Fw SBAS-FMS) ❍ Optional dual Radio Control Units (RCU) ❍ Optional UniLink® UL-801 Communications Management Unit (CMU) with integrated VDL Mode 2 VHF Radio The upgrade program also ensures that the aircraft is approved to fly in all airspace, and gain compliance with emerging mandates.

Universal Avionics (N6108) and Duncan Aviation (C8543) have had a proven relationship since 1982, with Duncan having extensive experience

Primary Navigation Display and SN4500 four-inch Primary Navigation Display.

The SN4500 and SA4550 are now offered in Eurocopter’s Blue Book as part of the Mid-Life Efficiency Package (MEP) for all new production EC135 and EC145 models.

Its newest product, the ST3453H MIL STD HeliTAWS has been selected by Sikorsky for its S-70i Black Hawk and Korea Aerospace Industries for all new factory-build helicopters.

Sandel is also featuring new product videos to continue its branding update.

Satellite connectivity providers are also exhibiting at NBAA. Inmarsat (N5111) will be promoting its SwiftBroadband and SB200 services, plus giving visitors a preview of its upcoming GX Aviation Ka-band service, with the first satellite scheduled for launch later this year. After the recent failure of a Proton rocket the launch schedule may suffer a “modest delay”, according to Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce.

Also coming soon is an upgrade to the SwiftBroadband and SB200 services. Faster data speeds and better helicopter compatibility are coming later this year with the new SwiftBroadband High Data Rate (HDR) bearers, being introduced via an upgrade.

PARTNERS

Available in 2015 from selected Garmin dealers, the G5000 completes the Garmin portfolio.

Elliott Aviation will be displaying its first G5000 mock up at its booth (left).

Universal Avionics and Duncan Aviation co-operate on a flight deck upgrade program for the Falcon 900B (right).

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REPORT

HANDY

Aircell's Gogo Biz service has expanded since October 1st to include voice capabilities (top).

Demo of flight operations document management system with the ARINC Direct iPad App (down).

ARINC Direct (N4510) will be demonstrating two new enhancements that are currently under development and beta testing with some customers.

In partnership with Polaris Aero a new integrated safety management system called Vector SMS will be showcased as part of its flight operations solutions.

Vector SMS is a comprehensive quality and safety management software system that helps facilitate compliance with various SMS standards (e.g., ICAO, ISBAO) and helps to improve operational effectiveness. Customers will soon be able to easily implement all the critical components of a Safety Management System that complies with accepted industry standards.

In addition the ARINC Direct iPad App development team will be demonstrating a new flight operations document management system. Relevant flight operations documents can be uploaded into folders via the website, and are then distributed to iPads automatically via the ARINC Direct App ready for use in flight. This kind of document management has benefits in reducing paper in the aircraft while also keeping documents up to date and easily distributed.

ARINC will also no doubt be demonstrating its new Xplore communications interface, which offers complete ACARS messaging (via an iPad app), high-quality voice, SMS messaging and Blackberry email, over a satellite connection. A pre-production model of Xplore was shown at EBACE, and the two-inch thick box, about the same size as an iPad, can be carried onto the aircraft if required. ARINC is currently working on an STC for Xplore, which is in final trials before full production.

ViaSat (N714) is also aiming for a larger slice of the bizav market, based on its growing Ku-band coverage and Viasat Yonder. Viasat says that this delivers “cable-like performance”, plus seamless connections around the globe, in-flight and on the ground.

Viasat recently added two premium classes of its Yonder high-speed internet service for business aviation. The new services – Yonder Premium and Yonder VIP – provide higher data rates, compared with the current Yonder service, new quality of service

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assurances, and enhanced network operations and field engineering customer support.

The company says these higher levels of service, plus a 60 percent increase in capacity on its worldwide network, will provide an improved customer experience for high bandwidth consuming applications such as multimedia streaming and video teleconferencing.

Viasat says that it now offers the highest performance of any Ku-band network.

Aircell (C11243) is now a distribution partner and service provider for Inmarsat’s SBB service and has new monthly service plans with rates that automatically decrease as data usage increases. The company also announced this summer that Travel Management Company (TMC) is to introduce Aircell’s Gogo Biz service across its entire fleet of light jet charter aircraft.

In October this year when the expansion is expected to be complete, TMC’s total charter fleet will encompass nearly 70 aircraft with complimentary Gogo Biz service available on every aircraft.

Aircell’s Gogo Biz service is also due to expand to include voice capabilities from October 1.

Satcom One (C10436) recently gained approval for SBB connectivity use on aircraft in both Russia and China. It has also started selling flight planning and datalink services powered

by Honeywell’s Global Data Center (GDC).

Florida-based Satcom Direct (N4107) will be promoting its new SDR router – the first of a new family of hardware devices that can interface with an aircraft’s satellite connection to provide Wi-Fi and other services in the cabin.

The company also recently partnered with OnAir to provide to handle the handle OnAir’s GSM product line.

Satcom Direct also has some new products and services that will be unveiled at its press conference on October 21.

For the first time this year, Satcom Direct will have two exhibit displays one on the show floor (booth N4107) and one at the static display. The static display will feature its Mobile Lab and CJIII, both of which provide demos and training of products and services, including the SDR, Inmarsat SB200 and ViaSat Yonder.

TrueNorth Avionics (C12440) will be launching its Stylus Wi-Fi handset at NBAA. The handset is a natural progression from the company’s corded Stylus handset, allowing owners and operators to customize the handset back, the cradle bezel, even the language interface. Like the corded version, Stylus Wi-Fi is specifically designed to operate with TrueNorth’s Simphone? OpenCabin.

TrueNorth is also hosting a special first day event on the afternoon of 22 October. “Stylus Royale” will feature a special guest, who is sure to add drama and create some buzz in Hall C.

✈

Q U A L E L L I O T T T Y

You’ll discover that we’re big enough to handle all of your aircraft needs...but small enough to give you the personal touch you deserve.

Connect with Elliott and land a better experience–

REGIONAL REPORT

LAS VEGAS

WELCOMING BIZAV AT MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

WELCOME

A significant portion of the airport traffic is made up of business flights despite a constant flow of airline livery.

By LeRoy Cook

T

he primary commercial airport at the entertainment and convention magnet of Las Vegas, McCarran International (KLAS), is billed as the eighth busiest airfield in the world, with over a half-million movements annually. Even so, that is still well below its estimated capacity of 625,000 yearly movements. About 10% of the total movements are attributed to general aviation, largely made up of private charter and business flights. That a significant portion of the airport’s traffic is made up of Business Aviation is a tribute to the desire of the airport’s owner, the Clark County Department of Aviation, to maintain open access, despite the nearly-constant flow of airline livery. However, most of McCarran’s success in handling business aircraft is because its well-known FBO’s, Signature Flight Services and Atlantic Aviation, are very supportive of the general aviation sector. Duncan Aviation provides avionics repairs at KLAS as well.

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tomer lobby is an 18,000 square foot building with full amenities, including two conference rooms, a crew lounge and catering. A storage hangar offering 22,500 square footage can handle aircraft up to Global and G550 size.

Lav and water service, oxygen and GPU/KVA/Airstart capabilities are provided.

Under the McCarran umbrella, much of the general aviation traffic is handled by reliever airports North Las Vegas (KVGT) and Henderson Executive (KHND), both of which have multiple runway layouts. KVGT, however, is somewhat restricted by its 5,000-foot pavement length.

KHND is much more welcoming with 6,500 feet available. During high-density altitude afternoons in the Nevada desert, those runway lengths are none too spacious.

McCarran, by comparison, has four runways up to 14,500 feet (4,420 m.) in length, and even its shortest parallel runway is nearly 9,000 feet (2,740 m.) long. It’s small wonder that Business Aviation gravitates to the welcoming expanse of McCarran.

Total land area of McCarran International is 2,800 acres (1,100 hectares). The property was initially purchased by Clark County for use as a commercial airline airport in 1948, although the airfield itself dates from 1942, when it was established as privately-owned Alamo Airport. In 1948, it was renamed for long-time Nevada Senator Pat McCarran, who was active in national aviation development. About 65 jets are based on the field, in addition to the flow of transient aircraft.

The preferred arrival runway for general aviation use would be the 8,985 by 150-foot 19R/1L, which is adjacent to the two competing fixedbase operators. Signature Flight Support is conveniently available at the southwest corner of the field, and Atlantic Aviation operates equally well at the northwest corner. Both are well-equipped and experienced with handling Business Aviation needs, as might be expected, given their long and successful history in the industry.

Parking reservations aren’t necessarily required for smaller business airplanes, but are advisable, in case there is an unknown attraction filling all

available space, which often happens at a star venue like Las Vegas. The city primarily exists to serve visitors, after all, and, aside from those seeking the gaming and shows, convention business is the lifeblood of its populace.

Not having a space reserved might mean repositioning to one of the reliever fields Duncan Aviation, the well-known MRO organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, operates from space near the Atlantic Aviation FBO. Division manager Jack Robbins and his staff can provide repair, installation and troubleshooting. It is one of over 20 such strategically-dispersed avionics shops Duncan operates, and it can provide service and repairs as needed to the business airplanes at KLAS. Signature Flight Support, part of BBA Aviation, is well known for its chain of FBOs and the Las Vegas facility is geared to handling the most demanding client. Located at the rollout end of runway 19-Right, the cus-

Across the field, at the end of runway 35-Left, Atlantic Aviation is ready to meet any visiting business aircraft’s needs, with a spacious terminal and a full compliment of services. General manager Al Archuleta and Operations manager Barry Kane head up the Atlantic team. Their facility is conveniently located to access the famed Las Vegas strip of casinos and hotels, and all expected support for bizjets is provided by a capable line crew.

When we checked non-discount fuel pricing in late summer 2013, Jet A at KLAS was averaging $7.14US per gallon and avgas was around $8.40US per gallon, including all taxes and service.

As traffic mounts for the NBAA trade show and convention, the ramps at McCarran and outlying airports will be filled to capacity. However, such events are old hat to the FBOs and they will be serving as many aircraft as can be squeezed in. Las Vegas is, first and foremost, a visitor’s city.

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EXPERTS

The team of experts at Duncan Aviation provides avionics repair, installation and troubleshooting for business aircraft at KLAS.

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THE DOCKET

RUSSIAN CABOTAGE

AVOIDING THE RISKS OF GREY CABOTAGE IN RUSSIA The Legal Risks of Grey Aviation

By Derek A. Bloom, Partner of Capital Legal Services

If the scope and practices of “grey cabotage” are unclear, the legal risks involved in “grey cabotage” are clear and very substantial, to the degree that one is left to wonder how it can be that these risks are accepted by those who are bearing them.

Y

SCARY

No responsible person would consciously take the risk of cabotage if they were fully aware of them.

ears of litigation with insurance companies which would not pay a claim for the loss of the insured aircraft or the lives onboard, the loss of tens of millions of dollars of cash and securities to repay bank financing pursuant to personal and corporate guarantees, the imposition of multi-million dollar fines in Russia, criminal investigations in Russia, and uninsured liability to third parties would be the likely consequences if something goes significantly wrong on one of the regularly occurring illegal flights within Russia of foreign-registered business jets.

These risks seem so huge that no responsible person would consciously take such risks if he were fully aware of them. But, the evidence is that these risks are taken every day in Russian Business Aviation. It appears that reform of these prevailing business practices to conform to the law, or reform of the law to match these business practices, will not come until after a disaster has occurred, and maybe not even then. But, even today, there are ways for risk averse owners and charter operators to accomplish their purposes prudently and in accordance with Russian law as it is.

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What is Cabotage?

The term “cabotage” refers to the use of a foreign registered aircraft to fly passengers, their baggage, and cargo picked up in Russia between two locations within Russia, with (or without) direct compensation for the flight [1]. “Cabotage” is defined in Article 7 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (the “Chicago Convention”) which sets out the rules for registration of aircraft and the flight of aircraft between and within separate countries. Article 7 provides that “Each contracting State [Russia] shall have the right to refuse permission to the aircraft of other contracting States to take on in its territory passengers, mail and cargo carried for remuneration or hire and destined for another point within its territory.”

Insurance Risks Take for example, the very unfortunate story of the crash of a Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft on approach to Domodedovo airport on November 19, 2005 which destroyed the aircraft and killed all onboard. The consequences of this crash have been the subject of five or six court decisions, with the most recent one given on January 26, 2009 by the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation. These court decisions have all held that the insurance company insuring the aircraft did not have to pay any amount of insurance since the aircraft was being used in violation of the restriction in Russian law on the use of a foreign-registered aircraft in a cabotage flight within Russia.

The appeals court decision of the Ninth Arbitration Appeals Court was clear in stating that: “... according to Paragraph 1 of Section V of the insurance policy, that the insurer does not

bear responsibility if the aircraft is used for any illegal purposes or for purposes that are different than those provided in the contents of the agreement in its terms and definitions, if the aircraft is used not within the geographic limitations for flights; the aircraft is piloted by any persons not having a legal right to do so...” The court cited Section 3.15 of Part 1.2-10 of the General Provisions of the Rules of the Federal Air Navigation Authority (Section 3.15) of the Rules of the Russian Federal Air Navigation Authority, mentioned above, and said: In accordance with Section 3.15, foreign aviation enterprises conducting any irregular [not regularly scheduled] flights are prohibited from carrying any commercial cargo picked up on the territory of Russia (cabotage carriage). In addition, it was established during the official investigation that, in fact, there was a carriage of passengers [on this flight]... which, according to Article 21 of the Air Code may be considered to be commercial air carriage... An analysis of the documents in relation to the organization of the flight of the insured aircraft on November 19, 2005 shows that there was no legal basis for having on board and the carriage of six passengers pursuant to the flight permit ... issued by RosAviatsia for the carrying out of this “private noncommercial flight”... The official investigation established the fact that the illegal use of the Cessna Caravan aircraft... was a basis for excusing the insurer from responsibility pursuant to [the relevant provision of the] policy... Considering the foregoing, the argument of the plaintiff that the carriage of passengers on the aircraft was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the insurance policy, issued for private flights, cannot be accepted by the court.

The earlier decision of the Federal Arbitration Court of the Moscow District, which was already the fourth court to hear the case, cast further light on the failed legal arguments of the aircraft insurance policy holders. The court discussed that: ... the plaintiff indicates in its complaint that the arbitration courts when taking the decisions which are being appealed came to an unjustified conclusion that the flight in question, which was conducted with a flight permit from RosAviatsia, was a commercial

flight, and the complaint clarified that, in accordance with Point 3 of Article 101 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, commercial air carriage is air carriage delivered for payment, however, in the opinion of the plaintiff this flight was conducted without he collection of any payment from the passengers (compensation) and with the use of the aircraft for personal purposes and for recreation, in connection with which the Company “Denton” concludes that the flight was private, referring to point 26 of Part 1 “General Provisions” of the Agreement of the parties which provided that a private flight is understood to be use of the aircraft only for personal purposes and for recreation, but not for business or professional interests, for hire or for compensation.

These arguments were rejected.

Thus, it is a clear risk in grey cabotage that, if anything goes wrong, the insurance company will likely try very hard not to pay any amount under the aircraft’s insurance policies, and the insurance company will probably win, if it can be shown that there are fair questions about why passengers were onboard a private flight.

Private Use Only As we noted, it is not prohibited cabotage for a foreign registered aircraft to be brought into Russia and flown for the aircraft owner’s own non-commercial purposes, provided the aircraft is properly certified in Russia. This is the exception to the general prohibition on cabotage that is exploited by operators in grey aviation. Accordingly, a corporate aircraft may be owned by a foreign legal entity, crewed by a foreign charter company, and flown to Russia and within Russia for the owner’s own personal use.

There appears to be no written guidance about the scope of use that may be considered legitimate private use.

The National Association for Business Aviation proposed in 2007 the creation of international rules for the permitted use of business aircraft. That very broad goal could be replaced by a narrower proposal to develop a definition of permitted private use of an aircraft in Russia, defining what categories of passengers may be on board and prohibiting use of an aircraft brought into the country for private use to be used for commercial purposes.

The proposal made by the National Association for Business Aviation in 2007 referred to an attempt in 1996 to develop regulation of Business Aviation in Russia, which was abandoned in favor of the new Air Code which came into effect in 1997 and provided no special regulation for Business Aviation in Russia. Since the attempt to develop a special set of regulations for Business Aviation was abandoned in 1997, and apparently again in 2007, Business Aviation has remained in its present condition where charter operators need either to comply with the full set of rules that apply to aviation enterprises engaged in commercial aviation, at a time when the Russian government seems set upon limiting the number of new licenses issued for new aviation enterprises, or charter operators have been forced to operate in a grey area giving rise to the current state of affairs where the entire charter industry is continually operating on the basis of one-time exceptions from the applicable law, and all operators are more or less forced to operate in a semi-illegal manner in order to conduct their businesses.

In the absence of further guidance in the form of additional laws or regulations in Russia governing the scope of permitted use that does not cross the border and become prohibited cabotage, it appears the prevailing practice today is that one is on safe ground if the same persons travel into Russia and between Russian cities on an aircraft, and no new passengers or cargo are taken onboard while the aircraft is in Russia.

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DECREE

The insurance company does not have to pay any amount when an aircraft is being used in violation of the Russian law on the use of foreignregistered aircraft in a cabotage flight within Russia.

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FROM THE COCKPIT

APPROACHES

THE CHALLENGE OF THE VISUAL APPROACH

by LeRoy Cook

D

COINCIDENT

No computer can make real-time decisions with so many variables as those seen out the cockpit window.

escending into terminal airspace in weather adequate for a visual transition to the runway would seem to be a welcome release.

Slipping the fetters of a IAP (instrument approach procedure) allows air traffic controllers and flight crews to shave minutes and save fuel. Your affirmative response to “Do you have the airport in sight?” can be followed by “Then, go there”, or official phraseology meaning much the same thing.

So, what’s the downside of accepting a visual arrival? Maneuvering in visual meteorological conditions should be easier and more flexible than jumping through IAP hoops. It’s not uncommon, however, for pilots to execute visuals poorly or even destructively.

What’s the problem here?

It may begin with some of the same threats encountered in previous discussions of circling approaches; clearance from obstructions and terrain becomes the pilot’s responsibility, often in difficult conditions. The definition of “visual” only means that the weather is well above IAP minima and reported visibility meets VFR criteria, as low as three miles visibility and 1,000 feet of ceiling. It’s probably not CAVOK, and keeping the airport in sight in marginal visibility takes much of the pilot-flying’s attention. Without electronic guidance, there’s ample opportunity to let the airplane slip into hazardous speed and attitude regimes.

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It’s difficult to refuse the offer of a visual arrival, with comforting vectors from approach control. Saving time and money, and thereby avoiding the stepdowns and heading changes of an IAP, create an attractive inducement.

However, there can be times when one may want to ask for the full approach. In any case, you should have the best approach procedure for the expected runway loaded and ready, so there won’t be a mad scramble to dial and punch inputs close to the ground. Air Traffic Control wants to know your intentions early on, so if you don’t like what you see when you break out of the bottom layer of cloud, start the process of requesting a full approach right away.

Are Pilots Visually Qualified?

It might seem a ridiculous premise, but I’ve heard from several Captains who’ve had new copilots turn out to be unfamiliar with what needs to be done to bring the aircraft in visually. We have grown so comfortable with coupling the autopilot to a charted procedure, designed to bring the airplane close to the threshold, that having to steer it and configure it on our own has become an abnormal circumstance.

Visual arrivals to an airport with multiple runways assumes that the pilot has a runway assignment and probably will accept a vectored line-up on a downwind, base, or straight-in leg, often with traffic-to-follow in sight as well as the airport. It may be neces-

sary to adjust speed to maintain spacing without direction, or even to S-turn (carefully) if overtaking. The opportunity to perform a downwind entry or extended base leg gives the ability to adjust spacing before stabilizing on final, but one has to take advantage of that opportunity, not miss it.

You need to be familiar with the power setting required to hold the aircraft in a stable speed and/or altitude condition at various flap/slat settings, remembering that maneuvering adds some drag as well. The goal is to align the aircraft on a stabilized final, ready to land, which means you shouldn’t carry so much power that excess speed results, yet not so little that the aircraft settles below a visual glideslope or, worse yet, begins to decelerate dangerously. The process of stabilizing the approach should be completed no lower than 500 feet above ground level. Using approach slope lights to stay at or above the correct glidepath assists in this process.

This is basic piloting stuff; no computer can make real-time decisions with so many variables as those seen out the cockpit windows. Be prepared to trim aggressively, push power up or drag it back, and point the nose to maintain speed. Can it be practiced in the simulator? In some respects, yes, given the visual effects available today.

But, nothing simulates the pressure of real weather, real traffic and the actual feel of a heavy airplane underneath one’s posterior.

In addition to visual arrivals in the sim, I feel there’s value in practicing hand-flown landings in a VFR traffic pattern, even in a single-engine airplane. The skills needed to fly manually are generic; only the numbers change. Certainly, we need to be able to manage the automation so that we can stay ahead of the arrival sequence, and that requires the ability to couple to an approach to follow ATC’s assignment. But, we also need to be able to fly the airplane when cut loose from the ATC tether.

Knowing as much as possible about the aircraft ahead of us, and how it’s going to affect our flight path, can be important. If following a light jet, with a V-ref speed well below 100 knots, it may be necessary to swing wide and stabilize at our own V-ref early-on the approach, with room to spare. On the other hand, keeping up with fast traffic breathing down our neck might require a close-in pattern, flown at higher speed until in the finalapproach slot. This has to be done carefully, if you want to avoid an overshoot from excess speed.

If arriving downwind, make sure the traffic you’re following has at least passed your wingtip on final before you turn onto base leg. Once headed toward the other aircraft, the required spacing can be lost very quickly, which will generate a request to goaround from the tower controller.

Waiting to turn in until the airplane ahead is moving away from you helps keep separation.

The chance of weather interfering with one’s plans for a visual arrival is always present. That’s the reason to have the expected IAP loaded and ready. As the pilot, you have the honest assessment of flight visibility and cloud coverage in view; the met folks on the ground do not. What’s reported and used to base a visual approach assignment doesn’t always equal the actual conditions. If ATC queries you as to which arrival you want, visual or the IAP, take that as a sign that not all aircraft have been making it in on a visual. Prepare accordingly.

Visual Approach Requirements A visual approach is flown visually, but the IFR flight plan and radar service is retained until you are handed over to the local control frequency.

The weather must be at least basic

VMC, but the distance-from-cloud requirements for VFR flight are not applicable. In addition, when radar vectors are used, the reported ceiling must be 500 feet or more above the minimum vectoring altitude for the visual approach to be assigned.

Because following another aircraft on the visual approach is often necessary, in addition to watching for the airport to show up, you will have to keep the preceding airplane in sight. If you report the traffic in sight, separation and wake turbulence avoidance become your responsibility. This means that if contact is lost, ATC must be notified immediately, so the controller can resume the task of separation. Otherwise, it is assumed that aircraft on the visual approach are maintaining their own separation.

Bear in mind that multiple runways can be in use at the destination, so merely seeing the airport environment is not enough. You also need to sort out the runway assigned and keep traffic in sight, without electronic assistance. If closely-spaced parallel runways are in use, expect a shallow vector of 30 degrees or less to the runway direction, to facilitate keeping paralleling traffic in sight.

During a visual approach, it is the pilot’s responsibility to have either the airport or the preceding traffic in sight, and to keep clear of clouds.

Traffic separation and spacing is the pilot’s responsibility unless loss of contact is reported; bear in mind that there can be VFR traffic in the vicinity that is not under ATC control.

Is It A Contact Or A Visual?

The term “contact approach” is often confused with “visual approach”.

Flying a contact approach assumes that the pilot is aware of the flight conditions and can maintain contact by remaining clear of clouds, with as little as one mile of visibility. Therefore, a request for a contact approach must come from the pilot and cannot be initiated by the controller. There must be an instrument approach procedure in place at the destination airport, and all obstruction clearance responsibility is placed on the pilot. The visual approach, by comparison, requires reported weather of at least three miles visibility and 1,000 feet of ceiling and will be a routine approach assigned by ATC.

Some airports will have charted visual approach procedures, using landmarks and supplemental navaid courses. These are not instrument approach procedures, and therefore do not contain a missed-approach segment. Their purpose is keep traffic away from sensitive environmental areas. If a pilot reports a charted landmark in sight, or the preceding aircraft is in sight, the controller may assign the procedure.

Minimum weather required to fly the charted visual is not based on the altitudes recommended in the procedure, but on minimum vectoring altitudes.

Even if you see the terrain, the procedure can’t be used if reported weather is less than the minimum approved for the procedure.

A visual arrival is a tool, just one more option in our bag of flying skills that can be useful, if applied correctly.

Visuals should not be lightly regarded, as a poor relation to a charted IAP. It takes practice and flexibility to pull it off.

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VISION

During a visual approach, it is the pilot's responsibility to have either the airport or the preceding traffic in sight.

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SAFETY SENSE

By Michael R. Grüninger and Capt. Carl C. Norgren of Great Circle Services AG (GCS)

Substantial Damage

AMBIGUITY

The accident was due to conflicting cockpit information.

September 14, 2007, was not a happy day for two experienced captains. They were approaching Runway 20L at Atlanta’s DeKalbPeachtree Airport in their Israel Aircraft Industries/ Astra SPX (now a Gulfstream 200). It was in the afternoon and the ceiling was broken at 1800 ft. It was raining, sometimes heavily. The runway was 6001 ft long, and wet. During the approach in IMC, visibility was around 1¼ miles above minimums. The company’s flight department’s chief pilot sat on the right-hand seat. He was designated as pilot-in-command (PIC). The second-in-command (SIC), in the lefthand seat, was a captain for the flight department. The SIC was pilot-flying on this sector.

The aircraft was established on the ILS 20L and the pilot flying followed the glide slope. The pilot-non-flying monitored the approach and then announced that the approach lights were in sight.

The pilot-flying responded that he also

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PILOT HIERARCHIES

CO-CAPTAINS! REALLY?

had the approach lights in sight. He disengaged the autopilot. He intended to fly the approach visually.

It was raining moderately, sometimes heavily. The pilot-flying turned the windshield wipers on. After some 10 seconds, the left-hand windshield became blurred and the pilot lost visual contact with the runway. He told the pilot-non-flying who confirmed that the right-hand windshield was clear and that he still had visual contact.

At this stage, the pilot-flying considered a missed approach. The pilot-nonflying re-iterated that he still had the lights and began to verbally direct the pilot-flying. When touch-down finally occurred, there where only approximately 1’000 ft of runway left.

The aircraft overran the runway. It travelled for several hundred feet past the end of the runway after it struck the localizer antenna. Finally the aircraft stopped with impact damage to the nose, wings, engines and landing gear near the airport fence.

Fortunately, only one minor injury resulted from this accident.

Account by the accident crew After the Astra accident, the chief pilot stated he had previously experienced the same visibility problems with the windshield. The windshields had no coating and did not shed water.

The windshield manufacturer’s had advised about degradation of the coating’s performance during the life of the windshield and had provided guidance to determine the acceptability of rain repellent performance, but this had not been followed by the maintenance provider.

With an opaque left windshield, the pilot-flying could only see his instruments. However, he had already lifted his head for a visual approach. The ILS approach had been changed to a visual approach. With hindsight it’s difficult to understand why the pilotflying didn’t lower his head again to return to instrument flying. He could have continued on the glide slope. At minimum he could have handed over controls for landing to the pilot seated behind the clear window on the right

seat. To stop the abnormal situation developing into an emergency, the pilot-flying could have decided for a missed approach (as suggested by the tower) and then take the time to consider options.

During the approach, the chief pilot told the pilot flying to go “left, left, left, left”. It was not clear, who was actually navigating the aircraft. Certainly the localizer and the glide slope were not followed.

NTSB also reports that during interviews after the accident the chief pilot stated that he was confused as to who was the PIC, and that both pilots were “co-captains”.

Designation of Pilot in Command It is a truism to state that when two pilots fly an aircraft together, coordination and a clear hierarchy on the flight deck are essential. And yet, accidents like this one remind us of how important it is. When two captains fly together, only one can be the pilot-in-command. This needs to be agreed before the flight. Both pilots need to feel comfortable with their roles and accept them.

The PIC carries the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the flight. When decisions must be taken quickly, he has the final word. In critical phases of flight and whenever abnormal or emergency situations arise, the PIC has to lead the crew, set priorities and assign duties and responsibilities to ensure the safety of the flight.

There are many factors which can influence this seemingly natural process. Factors such as age, flying experience, experience on type, company seniority, gender, race, nationality, family circumstances and flight ops managerial ranking which affect the social ranking of a pilot outside of the cockpit influence his perception of his role on the flight deck. When the perceived social rank of an individual in society conflicts with the hierarchy established for a particular flight, the potential for disruption in the chain of command is laid.

In the case of the Astra SPX crew the social inhibitors have worked in multiple ways: the PIC might have been inhibited from leading and from taking control in a critical situation out of respect for his fellow pilot. The SIC on the other hand might have been inhibited from asking for help from the PIC

trous. When time is limited, and decisions need to be taken fast, there is no time for ambiguities and extended collaborative decision-making. Roles and responsibilities must be clear.

and handing control to the PIC. He might also have been restrained from challenging the PIC’s way of dealing with the abnormal situation by giving him directions. Either way social inhibitors got in the way of efficient, clear and pragmatic actions on the flight deck. An abnormal situation which could have been easily resolved ended in an accident.

Implication of Seating Position The seating arrangement can also have an impact on the perceived hierarchy on the flight deck. It is standard practice for the PIC to be in the left seat. In aircraft certified for single-pilot operation the pilot is always seated on the left seat. On larger aircraft the controls for the nosewheel steering are only available on the left hand side. On the accident aircraft the SIC (!) was sitting on the left-hand side. This might have further confused the roles of the two pilots.

We are all Humans On a memorable Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) inspection the SAFA inspector observed an aircraft taxiing in. The B737’s strobe lights were still turned on, and they remained on during disembarkation.

The inspector boarded the aircraft, entered the cockpit and found two pilots with four stripes on the flight deck. After a hint by the inspector, the pilot-in-command switched off the strobe lights.

The pilot-in-command later stepped out of the cockpit and told the inspector that he had told the second-in-command, who was also a senior captain, to turn off the strobes when vacating the runway. However, he did not dare to enforce the command against his peer. The pilot-in-command gave the impression to be very embarrassed.

During normal operations such conflicts might not have any adverse consequences, but during abnormal or emergency situations, ambiguities in the chain of command can be disas-

Clarity All rule makers, government or industry, re-iterate the need to designate a pilot-in-command. It is the duty of each operator to establish procedures to designate a PIC for every flight. ICAO, national regulators and all industry standards, be it IOSA or IS-BAO, require this basic procedure.

This role is also clearly documented on the flight plan as well as in the aircraft technical log.

In the case of flight department operating the accident Astra, the company had not developed any type of SOPs, but had only a title-based hierarchy, i.e. a hierarchy which formally was in place, but whose members did not discharge of their responsibilities since these were not formally stipulated.

A contributing factor to the lack of SOPs was the rapid recent growth of the flight operations department. With more people working together, more leadership and formalized structure is required to maintain the level of safety.

Headless Flying To always be clear about who is PIC and who is SIC, who is pilot-flying and who is pilot-non-flying; to establish and follow clear procedures for the hand-over of control of the aircraft; to shape a realistic mental picture of the roles and responsibilities on a given flight; to avoid confusion of who is actually on the controls; these are some of the lessons we can learn from this accident. “Co-captains” are a recipe for disaster.

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Michael R. Grüninger is Managing Director and Capt. Carl C. Norgren is Head of Business Development of Great Circle Services (GCS) Safety Solutions.

GCS assists in the whole range of planning and management issues, offering customized solutions to strengthen the position of a business in the aviation market. Its services include training and auditing (IS-BAO, IOSA), consultancy, manual development and process engineering. GCS can be reached at www.gcs-safety.com and +41-41 460 46 60. The column Safety Sense appears regularly in BART International.

NEGLECT

The B737's strobe lights still on while taxiing remained on during disembarkation.

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PROFILE

HONEYWELL AEROSPACE

CHANGING THE WORLD OF INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY

By Paul Walsh

With the unstoppable growth of mobile connectivity you d assume that people flying Business Aviation can use their mobile devices in flight.

But in many cases the aircraft won t be connected, and if it is may only offer slow speeds and shaky service.

AUTHORITY

VP Honeywell Aerospace, Carl Esposito is the Master of inflight connectivity.

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S uffice to say this means that Business Aviation sometimes fails to deliver on its promises and while you’ll often hear people speaking about the office in the sky, an office that doesn’t allow emails or video-conferencing is hardly a productive space.

Fortunately it looks like the situation is about to change, thanks to the arrival of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Aviation, a satellite connectivity solution offering speeds of up to 49 Mbps, a big step up from the 432 kbps currently available from Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service. By the time it’s fully rolled out in 2015, video conferencing will not be a problem.

Need for Speed Since Honeywell is the master distributer for GX, and also provides its antenna kits, we sat down with Carl Esposito, VP Honeywell Aerospace to learn more about the benefits of this leap forward in inflight connectivity.

“Customers want more and more bandwidth; it’s something we see already with Inmarsat Swiftbroadband, where customers are upgrading their systems to get faster speeds and better service. Just as our mobile devices are getting more advanced, aircraft owners and operators have little choice but to upgrade, because it’s what people want.”

He adds that GX Aviation is the first satellite network designed from the ground up for mobile users, offering what he calls “unprecedented speed at good cost points.”

“What you’ve had until now is re-purposed satellite networks or patched together connections of networks.

With GX you’ll have one global network, meaning that the days of missed connections and satellite handovers are behind us. To put it simply GX Aviation is a network designed for mobile users and operated by one company.”

Inmarsat, for their part, are moving forward with their satellite program and announced in June that the first fully assembled Inmarsat-5 satellite has successfully completed mechanical testing at a manufacturing facility in El Segundo, CA. The satellite, which was manufactured by Boeing, is one of three that will comprise the GX network.

“This is a very important and significant milestone in the construction and test cycle of the spacecraft as we progress with the test program and move forward to launch day,” said Franco Carnevale, Inmarsat’s Vice President for Satellite and Launch Vehicles. “Exposing the satellite to the realities of the launch experience allows us to know with confidence that it can withstand the real thing.”

During the testing process, a powerful shaker was deployed to simulate the vibrations induced by the rocket’s engine thrust and its “cut-off” at stage separation. Additionally, a concrete reinforced chamber blasted the spacecraft with acoustic waves, much like those which will impact the rocket and its payload during lift-off.

Multiple Benefits

Following the shaking and blasting, all mechanical appendages on the satellite were deployed and tested.

The satellite is now undergoing a more advanced test-phase, where it is being subjected to the void of space and the large temperature variations it will experience in orbit, which are designed to ensure the satellite can operate reliably for more than 15 years.

Market And that’s good because as Esposito notes, there’s some work to do: approximately 13,000 commercial, business and cargo aircraft are eligible for upgrades, not to mention the new aircraft being produced every day.

He adds that Honeywell is speaking to every Business Aviation OEM about forward fit options, while also speaking to numerous bizjet operators about retrofit. The fact that Honeywell designs custom tail mount aviation antennas specifically for Business Aviation, means that modifications are quick and affordable.

Above all, passengers are set to benefit – they’ll be able to enjoy the same level of connectivity that they get on the ground, and they’ll see the full potential of their cabin management systems.

Underlining this point, Honeywell recently signed a partnership agreement with airline content management company IFP and its sister company,

in-flight software development expert DTI, to launch a new HD audio-video on demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment upgrade for Honeywell’s Ovation Select cabin management system (CMS).

With the upgrade, passengers can enjoy a continually updated library of in-theater, new release and classic films as well as top independent and foreign films from major motion picture studios and distributors worldwide.

What’s really interesting is that Ovation Select HD AVOD gives passengers new in-flight entertainment autonomy. Business fliers will now have access to films through permanently installed individual in-cabin controls and monitors, or wirelessly via personal entertainment devices such as iPads and iPhones.

So the service is greatly enhanced by a high-speed internet connection, again highlighting why GX Aviation is so important.

But it’s not just about improving the passenger’s experience, indeed GX influences the whole aircraft, with pilots and maintenance professiona l s al s o s e t t o b e n e f i t . “ T h i s is where Honeywell’s expertise really kicks in,” says Esposito. “After all, we provide engines and avionics systems for aircraft, so we can do much more than simply providing connectivity.”

“For one thing we can connect the aircraft systems with the communications systems. A good example is Health and Usage Management Systems (HUMS) which is currently available on certain helicopters and will be rolled out on fixed –wing aircraft, in the not too distant future.”

For those who are unaware, HUMS collects and interprets data from helicopter’s engines, gearboxes, shafts and other components so that any issues can be diagnosed quickly. But when it’s combined with a connectivity system such as GX, maintenance teams on the ground get real time health monitoring and position monitoring of an aircraft.

“Whereas before we would have to wait for the helicopter to land and then download the information from the systems, now you can get all of that information in real time,” says Esposito.

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OPTIONS

Honeywell is talking with OEMs about forward fit options as well as with operators about retrofit possibilities.

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PROFILE

ABELAG

A NEW BEGINNING

Just four months ago Belgian operator, Abelag was acquired

by Luxaviation a Luxembourgish Business Aviation group known for competing aggressively on the charter market. Wanting to learn more we sat down with Abelag CEO Hervé Laitat who outlined the various synergies that will result from the deal.

VIGILANT

Cautious by nature, Abelag CEO Hervé Laitat put the future of Abelag in the hands of Luxaviation.

BART: At EBACE you hinted that you wanted to merge with or aquire new companies. But now you’ve been acquired. How did this come about?

Laitat: When I spoke at EBACE we were in discussions about this acquisition, but we were also looking at acquiring other smaller operators. The main move came from Luxaviation’s CEO, Patrick Hannsen. He saw that even after the financial crisis, 80% of European operators have less than four aircraft. And he knows that if you have scale you can aggregate a lot of costs and improve your purchasing power.

And yes they were smaller than us in terms of fleet size, but a smaller company buying a larger one isn’t an unknown occurrence. It happened ten years ago when Sky Services bought Abelag; they were a lot smaller but they were dynamic and financed the purchase. And to be honest Luxaviation is not so small: they have ten aircraft and also own Fair Jets in Germany.

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They have ambitions, they were active in other sectors, they’re a successful charter company and fly a lot with their aircraft. As they control most of their fleet they can optimize flight profiles. If they fly somewhere they can wait before flying elsewhere. That’s not the case for Abelag; 70% of our flights are owner flights and most of our aircraft are owned by third parties.

So at the end of the day the aircraft has to come back to base.

That’s not to say that Abelag is uncompetitive, but Luxaviation flies two or three times more than we do. They make their money through charter and make that model work. There are advantages in that you don’t have to pay for the empty legs and you can be more responsive to your clients.

Abelag’s model is very different, we are very good at understanding and creating management structures. And really that’s the most interesting thing about this acquisition. Abelag and Luxaviation are very close geographically, we can play to our respective strengths. Since closing the deal we have been trying to charter among ourselves; when Abelag doesn’t have the capacity to fly one of our clients on charter, Luxaviation can. We send most of our flight requests to them.

The second important point about this merger is the growth of our purchasing power in respect to handling, fuel and so on. We have doubled our fleet, and it now stands at 45 compared to 20 so it makes a big difference. We’re now one of the top five biggest operators in Europe.

BART: What happens to the Abelag brand?

Laitat: For now we keep our name, in the same way that we keep our management team. I cannot predict what will happen to the name in five years time. But in the negotiations it was very important that we kept our management team, we didn’t want there to be a cataclysmic shift in the company.

After all, we bring a lot of aircraft management expertise and experience to the table. And we have two part 145 facilities, it’s something they don’t have. We are certified for line and

base maintenance on Excels and CJs and since Luxaviation has plenty of Excels and CJs, we can maintain most of their fleet.

And then there’s our expertise in operating Falcons. We have four 2000LX’s and two 7X’s and you know, operating a 7X is not like operating an Excel; our people know the specificities of these aircraft very well. We have a reputation for it: in Europe people know that we are very good at operating Dassault Falcon products.

It’s also worth noting that we position ourselves as a one stop shop for Business Aviation. Most of the time we’ll find an aircraft for a buyer, we’ll negotiate on his or her behalf then we’ll do the maintenance, the administration and sell the aircraft to buy another one. The owner wants a single point of contact and that’s what we offer, it’s also a way to build trust among our clients.

In total we have 45 aircraft in Europe and elsewhere. And almost immediately after the acquisition had taken effect we began working to find synergies in our fleet.

BART: As a result of this acquisition, do you see Abelag and Luxaviation expanding outside of Europe?

Laitat: Our owner is a young and dynamic person and doesn’t hide the fact that he wants to develop something in Asia.

In the past we were focused on the Benelux region and the North of France so I’m very happy that we’re with a company with fresh ideas and the means to expand. Abelag’s resources were always a bit limited in this regard. It’s not as if I had five people dedicated to business development focusing on new projects.

Now that we have the right people we can bring the group to another level. But I am cautious by nature, and I see other companies buying aircraft and putting them in Africa and Asia and I still wonder whether it can work. You don’t have to approach the world with the same focus and at the same time as everyone else. But, honestly I think Asia is the next big market.

BART: Now that chartering aircraft is becoming a more significant part of your business, are you not concerned about the sluggish market for Business Aviation charter in Europe?

Laitat: Charter is a difficult business, but as long as you can make your aircraft fly a lot and cover your fixed costs then it’s pure margin.

Luxaviation fly a lot around 600 hours per aircraft. They have a young dynamic team and they really work hard to keep the aircraft flying. Indeed Luxaviation was one of Abelag’s big competitors on the charter side. They have won the confidence of brokers, and fly a lot for them. And they do a lot of tours for pop stars and that brings them a lot of hours.

Of course not all charter companies will survive. You need to offer good service, good maintenance, good pilots, the aircraft have to be in tiptop condition. And there needs to be added extras, for instance Luxaviation puts air hostesses on Citation Excels, which few operators do. So the clients are happy and the brokers are happy, because Luxaviation are flexible. This way it can work. But if you don’t pay enough attention to charter and if the service is good one day and bad the next then it will never really work out for you. And you have reach a certain size. The business model doesn’t work if you only have two aircraft.

BART: Can you tell me something about the profile of your customers?

Laitat: Belgium is a very entrepreneurial country and the percentage of young entrepreneurs has risen here over the years. When I drive from Brussels to Kortrijk you see a lot of great businesses that are 10 or 15 years old. These companies are lead by entrepreneurs and the decision process is straightforward. He’ll say, I have a plant in Romania or Kazakhstan and I need to fly to these places. And he won’t need to spend two years selling the idea to a board of shareholders. We’re talking about dynamic people that need to act quickly. More and more of our clients fall into this category.

There are some corporate owners, but in the crisis, it was difficult for companies to hold on to an aircraft while they were letting people go.

It’s a sensitive topic. We try to promote the real meaning of Business Aviation. I have seen some abuses, but the vast majority of our flights are for business purposes. When I look at the flight profiles I see that on Monday they’re in Kazakhstan, on Tuesday they’re in Stockholm and on Wednesday they’re back in Brussels. Business Aviation is the only way they can do this. Indeed, I have never been more convinced of its value. Our aircraft have been to 520 places last year and 80% of the city pairs that we do are not linked

with airlines. So it’s a productivity tool and since the crisis this has become even more important, people need to act fast and travel fast.

BART: What happens when someone comes to you and says I want to buy a G650 and have you manage it?

Laitat: That’s a very good question.

We’d have to have a discussion. If this person has worked all his life and dreams about having a G650 I won’t be able to discourage him. I’m always objective but I will outline what he gains by choosing an aircraft from one of the types we operate.

In the past, clients have come to us looking to operate aircraft that we not used to and I had to say; ‘we are not the right partner for you.’ It’s best to be honest, there’s a lot of money at stake. And that’s part of Abelag’s philosophy- you can’t do everything. All of our pilots are paid by Abelag, which is different to other operators where owners pay for pilots. So if you’re flying a Falcon 2000 or a 7X or an Excel, you can count on the pool of pilots we employ. But if they bring an aircraft that we’re not used to, it’s going to cost them more.

I think the 7X is already amazing. You already get a lot and I wouldn’t say we refuse all things. We already have many types of aircraft.

✈

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BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 77

REPORT

JETEXPO

THE MARCH TO MATURITY

By Paul Walsh

This year s Jet Expo had little of the flashiness and exuberance of early show installments when wealthy Russian buyers wandered around the static dreaming of the I ve arrived feeling that goes with owning their very own business jet.

Back then operating costs, resale values and available maintenance facilities were simply details that could be worked out later.

I STRONG

No cigars at Jet Expo 2013. The Show organized

by Vnukovo-3 was a step forward for the introduction of a real Business Aviation in Russia where turboprops play their cards.

ndeed, today’s buyers are far more likely to crunch the numbers and make intelligent purchases, which might explain why Jet Expo is not the vodka and cigar fest that it once was.

Rather, it’s a serious Business Aviation show for a rapidly maturing Business Aviation market.

One consequence is that Russia holds potential for turboprop manufacturers, and as Scott Plumb VP EMEA Beechcraft points out; “Buyers are looking at how they get to their factories. They are more thoughtful about their purchases, more analytical, which opens up some really nice opportunities in Russia.”

Plumb adds that the charter market is encouraging fliers to go ahead and buy their own aircraft. “The King Air

78 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

250 is one of the most chartered aircraft in Europe, and can get people from a small airport outside of London to a small airport outside of Frankfurt and back, with very little fuss. But at a certain point charter fliers will think, wouldn’t it be better if I owned this plane rather than just chartering it?

This is happening in Western Europe, but also in Russia and buyers understand what they can achieve by actually buying an aircraft.”

Plumb adds that there are more financing options available for turboprop buyers. “We work closely with Air Finance Company, which is a store

front for Exxon Bank and is open to financing turboprops. Indeed we work with a number of institutions to help our clients get access to finance.”

Another company that is seeing an evolving Russian market is Embraer with VP Colin Stevens speaking about the Legacy 600’s strong reputation as a reliable work-horse in Russia. “We delivered the first Legacy here in 2003 and they were very dependable, and people loved the cabin and loved the baggage space. That got us started and we’ve just grown from there.”

Stevens says that Embraer is also quite excited about bringing the Legacy 450 and 500 to Russia. “This is new technology, which is something that really appeals in the Russian market. The fly-by-wire controls are a game changer for this size of aircraft.

It brings so much more benefit to the owners and the operators.”

The Legacy 500 is making swift progress since Serial Number One made its maiden flight on November 27, 2012. The campaign began in December and pilots are reporting that flying qualities have exceeded expectations. It is being used for performance flights and systems tests. Serial Number 2, which took to the air in February 2013, has finished the IFTD (In Flight Thrust Determination) tests and is continuing with additional performance and systems tests. Serial Number 3, which joined the test campaign in March, has passed cold soak tests at Eglin Air Force Base in the U.S.

It’s also worth noting that Falcons are technologically optimized meaning less weight, 20-40% less fuel consumption and lower emissions than other airplanes in their class. “With their exceptional performance and fuel efficiency, the entire Falcon fleet is positioned very nicely for long term success,” said Dassault Falcon President and CEO John Rosanvallon.

He adds that business jets are valued in the region as a powerful tool to enable quick and convenient access to customers within the country and worldwide. Falcons offer unique flexibility to the Russian customer. The Falcon 7X can connect Moscow with the business hubs of New York, Johannesburg or Singapore. It is also the only airplane Dassault were also present at the show bringing their 4,000 nm Falcon 2000LX and Falcon 7X to the static display. You could call Dassault Falcon a veteran on the Russia scene as it has had a presence in the region since the early 1990s, and today has a sales office in Moscow, as well as a Satellite Service Station to support operators in the area.

And the French manufacturer is upbeat on the future of the Russian Business Aviation industry. “As companies continue to invest and expand, particularly outside of Russia, they will continue to demand the most efficient methods of travel,” said Gilles Gautier, senior Vice President, Falcon Sales for the Eastern Hemisphere. “Russia is a very large country with tremendous energy resources and a rapidly expanding economy. We’re finding that Russian entrepreneurs and business owners are quick to adapt to Business Aviation because of the great advantages it offers in access and time management,” he added.

As we know pilots in Russia have to contend with extremely low temperatures and short airfields, which is where the advanced technology and robustness of Falcons bring real benefits. More than 50 Falcon aircraft are currently in operation in Russia, representing almost 40% of the market share in the large cabin segment.

Half of the new aircraft orders are for the Falcon 7X, the only business jet equipped with a fully-digital flight control system. The digital flight control system provides greater control, operational safety and a smother flight.

in its class that can connect Moscow to the challenging London City Airport in the heart of downtown London. Additionally, the Falcon 7X is able to fly multiple short hops and then go on the final destination without the need to refuel.

Meanwhile Cessna had good news at the show, announcing an order for 79 Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft, one of the largest orders on record for the aircraft, at Moscow’s JetExpo 2013.

Moscow-based ViraZH, plans to use the Skyhawks for training purposes at various flight schools throughout western Russia. The order is part of a multi-year agreement between Cessna and ViraZH, with all 79 aircraft set to be delivered by the third quarter of 2014.On completion of the

STATUS

Embraer delivered the first Legacy 600 in Russia in 2003 (top).

Falcons represent 40% of the large cabin segment in Russia (center).

Cessna sold 79 Cessna 172 for Russian flying schools (down).

BART: OCT - NOV - 2013 - 79

REPORT

JETEXPO

final delivery, ViraZH will have one of the world’s largest fleets of Skyhawk 172 aircraft in operation.

Kriya Shortt, Cessna senior vice president of Sales, said: “We are delighted to have a strong relationship with ViraZH and are proud they have selected the Cessna 172 Skyhawk to be their training platform. This order augments an additional 11 Skyhawks purchased by ViraZH in 2011, highlighting their confidence in our product. It is encouraging to see an increase in both our global customer base and flight training accessibility in Russia.”

Jodi Noah, Cessna senior vice president for Single Engine/Propeller Aircraft, added: “Cessna’s reputation for producing reliable and safe prod-

PRESENCE

A fleet of 53 Gulfstream is operated in Russia and a combined 76 in Rusia and the CIS (top).

Launched in Russia in June, Nextant has already sold two 400XTi's in Russia (center).

ucts precedes us both in the US and globally. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the world’s most popular training aircraft and we are confident that this next generation of aviation students who now have the access to this fleet will benefit immensely, as have many aviation students before them.”

The 172 Skyhawk has become the best-selling, most-flown single-engine aircraft in the world. With an all-glass Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk has earned a reputation for offering a combination of modern features and proven dependability among general aviation aircraft.

80 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

Also at Jet Expo Gulfstream announced that it has seen its Russia based business-jet fleet grow more than sixfold in the last six years.

A company statement said that there are 53 customer-operated aircraft in Russia and a combined 76 in Russia and the wider Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 2007, those numbers were eight and 11, respectively.

“The Gulfstream brand is very strong in Russia,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “We sold our first aircraft to a Russian customer in 2002 and have experienced remarkable growth since then. The recent opening of our

sales and design center in London is a direct result of strong customer response in Russia and other parts of Europe.”

More than a quarter of Gulfstream’s European fleet is in Russia.

Surrounding countries, including CIS members Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, also are home to multiple Gulfstream operators. To support the growing fleet in Russia and the CIS, Gulfstream has more than $120 million in parts and materials inventory at three European locations — Luton, England; Madrid; and Basel, Switzerland.

The Gulfstream Luton facility, which has nearly 190 employees, is a major resource for Russian and many Eastern European operators. Earlier this year, the site earned certification to work on Gulfstream aircraft registered in Azerbaijan. Gulfstream Luton has maintenance approvals from several other civil aviation authorities, including the United States and European Union. Its technicians also support Russia and CIS operators by traveling to their aircraft’s location.

Additionally, Gulfstream has rapidresponse Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) maintenance technicians in Ukraine, France, Greece and Switzerland, who are dispatched by airplane, train, van and automobile to reach customers in the field.

Gulfstream Product Support has personnel and authorized facilities in Moscow to assist Russia based opera-

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AGREEMENT

Jet Aviation Moscow entered into an agreement with Kazan-based Tulpar Interior Group to offer full interior capabilities out of its facility at Moscow Vnukovo.

tors. Bruce Fleming serves as a Gulfstream field representative, and Jet Aviation at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport is a Gulfstreamauthorized facility that supports the Gulfstream mid-cabin, GIV/GV series and GII/GIII aircraft with line and light maintenance.

Nextant’s people flew into Russia on the 400XTi noting that it has already sold two aircraft to Russian customers Nextant launched in Russia in June by appointing FortAero Baltic Business Aviation Alliance (“FortAero”) as the exclusive sales agent in Russia and CIS. At the same time the company has placed an initial order for two 400XTi’s. The first aircraft will be delivered in November 2013 followed by the second in January 2014. FortAero has more than 16 years of experience within the Russian and CIS Business Aviation market and will play a key role on defining Nextant’s sales, marketing and customer service strategy in the region.

“We see strong potential in Russia,” said Peter Walker, Nextant Vice President, EMEA and APAC, who attended Jet Expo with Nextant’s President, Sean McGeough. “It is a young and expanding aviation market which understands the convenience of Business Aviation. Light cabin aircraft have traditionally struggled here due to limited range. This is not a problem for the Nextant 400XTi. With a 3,710 km (2,003 nm) range the aircraft can easily fly from Moscow to Novosibirsk, Almaty or Tashkent as well as to London, Barcelona or Cairo without refueling with the quietest and most comfortable cabin in its class.”

With a rapidly growing economy and the sixth largest GDP in the world, Russian government and business leaders are looking for time-efficient and cost-effective travel to Europe, the Middle East and within the Commonwealth. The Russia/CIS entry-level jet market is estimated to be 69 aircraft valued at $225 million and growing. However, the total Russia/CIS market, including aircraft owned by residents but registered abroad, is estimated to be at least three times this size.

82 - BART: OCT - NOV - 2013

JETEXPO

Bombardier, for their part, presented the Challenger 300 jet, Challenger 605 jet and Global 6000 aircraft.

“Russia is an important market where we are seeing a growing interest in the business jet as a business tool,” said Christophe Degoumois, Vice President, Sales, Eastern Europe, Russia & CIS, China, Asia Pacific and Australia, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “To further build on our position in the region, we’re pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate just why our aircraft are so well received here. We believe we have the right mix of jets to accommodate the Russian business community’s needs and welcome the chance to present the comfortable and spacious cabins that will help increase travel efficiency.”

As part of this commitment to customer support in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Bombardier opened a Regional Support Office (RSO), operated by its Russian subsidiary Bombardier Aerospace Services Russia LLC (BASR), in Moscow, in 2012. The RSO is complemented by two Authorized Service Facilities (ASF), as well as a team of Field Service Representatives (FSR) and Customer Support Account Managers, part of BASR’s network.

Bombardier continues to explore opportunities to expand its support network within the region for its customers located in Russia and CIS. This local presence provides customers with an additional level of support in conjunction with Bombardier’s extensive parts and maintenance networks,

as well as its expert in-service engineering teams and 24/7 Customer Response Centers.

And it wasn’t just about the OEMs. On the interior side Jet Aviation Moscow signed an agreement with Kazan-based Tulpar Interior Group to offer scheduled full interior refurbishment capabilities out of its maintenance facility at Moscow Vnukovo Airport effective immediately.

In response to growing customer demand for interior capabilities, Jet Aviation Moscow has entered into an agreement with the Tulpar Interior Group, the only company in Russia providing the full range of aircraft interior services for commercial and VIP aircraft.

The new services include carpet replacement; minor repair or replacement of interior components; rejuvenation and protective coating of leather surfaces; fabrication of new seat upholstery; repair or replacement of coating or headlining on windows and other panels; and rectification of any decorative varnish defects on veneer and hard wood. The services must be scheduled in advance.

“Our customers can now schedule interior modifications during planned maintenance checks, improving aircraft utilization,” says Vitely Aleksikov, general director at Jet Aviation Moscow Vnukovo. “We are very pleased to expand our on-site services and offer our customers this additional support.”

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