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149 BI-MONTHLY / FEBRUARY - APRIL / POSTING OFFICE BE 1380 LASNE

OUR 26TH YEAR

149 Feb-Apr 2014

P R E M I E R T R A N S AT L A N T I C B U S I N E S S AV I AT I O N M A G A Z I N E I N E U R O P E

The BART 2014 Exclusive Fleet Report

HAI 2014 HOVERING OVER ANAHEIM

FROM GREAT AUTHORITY

COMES GREAT SUCCESS When you partner with Cessna, you get more than an aircraft. You get the widest range of offerings available in aviation, including the broadest product line, the most pilot-training resources, the largest global service network, and an 85-year lineage of success. Cessna: This is aviation authority.

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CITATION JET LEADERSHIP

SERVICE EXPERTISE

From the Editor

BOARD MEETING BLABBERMOUTH TIME FLIES AND SPRINGTIME WILL SOON BE UPON US. Turtles and rattle snakes coming out from hibernation will soon make their voices heard, calling stockholders to thousand of annual general meetings held all over the civilized world. Among the genuine attendees who come for a straight forward debate and lawabiding considerations, there is always the usual busybody who attends as many meetings as possible with the sole objective of embarrassing the board of directors with uncomfortable questions. Just emerging from a thorny crisis s cycle, there is some probability even if it had not created any ruckus in the past the company aircraft will find itself with a bull s eye on its back.

The ongoing evolution of Business Aviation, with its price escalation and luxurious image conveyed by daily newspapers who favor picturing those using business aircraft as high-flying bosses gives a false impression of frivolity that assimilates aircraft with a manager s toy.

In some corporations, the pressure on executives is so challenging they sometime hesitate to use the aircraft for conducting business.

Some years ago, I had the privilege of working with Heinz Lichius, an EBAA Board member and retired chief pilot from Volkswagen Germany. Heinz, a remarkable guy,

was telling me the management was sometime hesitating to use the company aircraft for business while, on the other hand, union leaders were coming straight to the flight department and booking flights to attend union meetings without hesitation.

There are many bullets to be loaded against these challenges. It is so simple to compare a business aircraft with a useful tool. A company plane produces time for a busy executive, allowing for better operations and greater profits.

We knew this half a century ago when we started seeing the proliferation of aircraft used for the conduct of business. It is therefore pure nonsense to imagine that we still have to defend a company plane today.

At the time of writing this piece, I am trying to recuperate from an airline flight from Brussels, Belgium to Phoenix, Arizona that took twenty four hours of my time. If the dissident stockholder types I mentioned earlier had their way, there would be no business aircraft and everyone would be traveling by airlines. Are the latest rages of economic corporate aberrations to include coach seats for the board?

Well I've got o go now, this flying experience was really exhausting and I'm falling asleep on my laptop.

There can be economy only where there is efficiency Benjamin Disraeli

OUR FAMILY OF CUstOMERs | A LEttER sERIEs

“I have flown 17,700 accident-free hours thanks in a big way to FlightSafety’s excellent training.”

Glenn E. Lewis Corporate Pilot – Retired

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

FEBRUARY - APRIL - 2014 Volume XVII - No 1 BART No 149 WWW.BARTINTL.COM

CONTENTS 64 BART s EXCLUSIVE FLEET REPORT This year s round-up of the world-wide Business Aviation Fleet, shows the industry emerging from recession.

54 AIRCRAFT INTERIORS As bespoke cabin design becomes more popular, we look at the main players and what they offer.

60 BUSINESS AIRPORTS We look at how Business Aviation airports are promoting regions across Europe.

HELI-EXPO With over 20,000 visitors set to descend on Anaheim for this year s Heli-Expo we give a round-up of the main exhibitors.

68 MAINTENANCE MATTERS Following Textron s acquisition of Beechcraft, we look at what this means for Cessna and Beechcraft s service offerings.

76 SAFETY SENSE Great Circle Services look at the importance of team dynamics in the cockpit.

PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE IN EUROPE

Member

OUR ADVERTISERS AND THEIR AGENCIES 21 41 17 13 2-3 9 25 5 15 70 84 59 53 35 39 23 19 83 11

ABACE 2014 AMSTAT ARINC Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. Cessna Service Centers (COPP MEDIA SERVICES, INC.) Duncan Aviation EBACE 2014 FlightSafety (GRETEMAN GROUP) Garmin GCS Safety Solutions HondaJet (MILNER BUTCHER MEDIA GROUP) Jet Aviation Jet Expo 2014 JetNet LLC Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI) NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference 2015 Pilatus Aircraft Universal Avionics Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.

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, Ivan Veretennikov, 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.

SECTIONS 4 EDITORIAL 8 FAST TRACK 22 BUSINESS NEWS 4 EUROPEAN UPDATE 26 CEO S CORNER

CONTRAST Timeless to Visionary is Jet Aviation s latest design concept; offering timeless elegance along with a forward-looking futuristic approach.

OUR COVER This issue is all about the numbers. From page 28 see country by country information on the latest Business Aviation fleets.

AGENDA

TAG AVIATION INTRODUCES PAPERLESS COCKPITS

HELI-EXPO 2014 February 24-27 Anaheim, CA, USA EBACE 2014 May 20-22 Geneva, Switzerland FARNBOROUGH INT’L July 14-20 Farnborough, UK

After the introduction in the UK in July 2013, TAG Aviation S.A. has brought in paperless cockpits throughout its fleet in Geneva, Switzerland, following Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) approval.

TAG Aviation has now equipped crews across its managed fleet with iPads - Class 1 Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) - which will replace hundreds of pages of documents including operations manuals, aeronautical charts, flight plans and weather information.

“Integrating Jeppesen mobile solutions helps to reduce pilot workload, increase operational efficiency and lower costs in a competitive business environment,” said Tim Huegel, Director, Jeppesen Aviation Portfolio Management. “We are pleased to team up with TAG Aviation and congratulate them on their digital transformation on the ground and in the air.”

DUNCAN AVIATION RELEASES UPDATED CHROME-FREE PAINT SYSTEMS FIELD GUIDE The start of 2014 marks the third year that nearly all aircraft painted at Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Neb., and Battle Creek, Mich., facilities have been completed using FAA-approved, chrome-free paint processes. The mile marker spurred a review and update of Duncan Aviation’s field guide, “ChromeFree Aircraft Paint Systems,” which was recently re-released on the company’s website. The guide answers how and why aircraft paint processes are changing, what to look for when considering a provider, performance of these new products and waste disposal methods.

Because chrome-free products have continued to improve year after year, more business aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service providers are reviewing and considering the transition to chrome-free paint. Duncan Aviation Paint Manager Doug Bohac says unless customers ask for the chromate option, Duncan Aviation offers the “greener” chromefree aircraft paint system when crafting a paint design and providing a paint quote. The paint team has received a positive response to this shift.

FlightSafety SIMULATORS QUALIFIED TO LEVEL D BY EASA AND FAA

Scenery rendering

8 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

FlightSafety International announces that five of its simulators equipped with the recently introduced VITAL 1100 visual system have been qualified to Level D by EASA and the FAA. Three additional VITAL 1100 equipped simulators are scheduled to receive Level D qualification in the next few months.

“The VITAL 1100 is leading the industry with unprecedented fidelity and training effectiveness,” said John Van Maren, vice president, simulation.

The first VITAL 1100 visual system equipped simulator to receive Level D qualification from EASA was FlightSafety’s Sikorsky S-92 located in Stavanger, Norway. The first simulators that feature the VITAL 1100 to be qualified to Level D and approved by the FAA include FlightSafety’s AgustaWestland AW139 and Sikorsky S-92 simulators in Lafayette, Louisiana, an Embraer 190 simulator in St. Louis, Missouri, and a Night Vision Goggle qualified Eurocopter EC135 simulator in Dallas, Texas.

Arjen Groeneveld Arjen started with Duncan Aviation in 2009 as a Sales Representative in Europe. He took on his current role as a European Regional Manager in 2011. Prior to Duncan Aviation, Arjen worked 25 years in the industries of aerospace research, commercial airline and aircraft leasing. +31.2.0820.2328 Arjen.Groeneveld@ DuncanAviation.com

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 well-known 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.

www.DuncanAviation.aero/worldwide Owned and operated by the Duncan family since our founding in 1956.

JET AVIATION CELEBRATES 5TH ANNUAL VIENNA ROUNDTABLE CUSTOMER EVENT Jet Aviation hosted its highly anticipated annual Roundtable assembly of select customers and industry members in Vienna yesterday. The invitation-only event provides Business Aviation executives the opportunity to meet informally and socialize.

The event began as a small get-together of approximately 10 operators and aviation financiers in 2009, and has grown to include more than 140 customers and industry members from the Viennese Business Aviation community, including representatives of aircraft owners, operators, OEMs, MROs, banks, insurance companies and law firms.

FLY COMLUX UPGRADES 767BBJ INTERIOR

Fly Comlux, the VIP operator of Comlux The Aviation Group, is pleased to announce that its 767BBJ, the only VIP widebody aircraft available for charter, is coming back to market after a major mandatory maintenance check and significant upgrades to the cabin.

The 767BBJ is an ultra spacious aircraft able to carry large groups and delegations of up to 63 passengers in three different cabin compartments including: VIP quarters, Executive quarters and an Entourage section.

As part of the upgrade package, the cabin has been refreshed with a brand new carpet. Also, every seat in the Executive cabin and in the Entourage section has been re-upholstered with a beautiful light beige leather. In order to increase the health and comfort of each passenger, the cabin now features a brand new humidification system reducing dry air issues that are common when flying, and therefore further enhancing the experience for our customers.

SCHEDULERS & DISPATCHERS CONFERENCE SETS REGISTRATION RECORD The 2014 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2014) officially began at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA, and the number of registrants has already reached an all-time high, with a record 2,600 people signed up to attend the four-day event, the Association reports.

“We are thrilled by the momentum this show has gained through the years,” said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s vice president, operational excellence and professional development, as the show opened Jan. 15. “This conference is always high-energy, and this year’s exhibitors and attendees are clearly excited to be in New Orleans to get down to business, share ideas and learn from one another.

“The Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference has always focused on quality – quality of attendees, exhibitors, educational content, networking opportunities and professional development, and SDC2014 is reaching a watermark high in each of those areas,” Nichols added.

This year’s theme is “Take the Lead,” and keynote speaker Betty Shotton, CEO of LiftOff Leadership, took participants on a journey into the possibilities and obstacles faced in business aviation careers during this morning’s Opening General Session. Dozens of other thought-provoking, interactive education sessions are planned for the next four days.

“NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference provides a unique opportunity for business aviation professionals from all areas of flight departments and charter operations to stay up to date on timely operations issues, as well as visit with 495 exhibitors,” said Jo Damato, NBAA’s director, educational development and strategy, and staff liaison to the Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee.

SDC2014, now in its 25th year, also offers attendees a chance to participate in the Conference Training Initiative (CTI). Fourteen sessions have been selected to qualify for the CTI, with topics ranging from scheduling essentials, risk-assessment subjects and tax topics that a scheduler or dispatcher needs for continued professional development. Participants who meet the program requirements receive a training-acknowledgement letter from NBAA. “SDC2014 attendees not only gain skills and knowledge that are beneficial to their flight departments and charter companies; they also develop expertise and industry contacts that promote their own professional development,” said Spring Adamo of FirstEnergy and chairwoman of the Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee.

Next year’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2015) is set for Feb. 3 to 6, 2015, in San Jose, CA.

10 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

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Discover how SMS Manager™ can work for you. Watch a demonstration and sign up for a free trial at universalweather.com/safety.

Speak with our safety experts at EBASCON 2014.

To schedule a meeting, e-mail swear@univ-wea.com.

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274 KING AIRS RECEIVE RAISBECK SYSTEMS IN 2013 It has been an epic year for Raisbeck Engineering Inc., ending 2013 as the third largest year in company history.

2013 Performance System sales for King Air and Learjet were up a solid 17% over 2012.

Driving sales was the introduction of the new Swept Blade Turbofan Propeller for the King Air 200 family, of which 32 shipsets have been delivered since their introduction last March. The new Raisbeck/Hartzell Propellers are becoming known for their quietness, performance and impressive ramp presence.

Typical of the reaction of operators whose 200-series King Airs have been equipped with Raisbeck’s new EPIC Performance Packages featuring the Swept Blade Props, owner and pilot of BB-1504, Jean Sagouspe, commented, “These new Swept Props and the EPIC Package have solved my concerns when flying from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at or near gross.”

JSSI NOW OFFERS TIP-TOTAIL® COVERAGE FOR G280 Jet Support Services, Inc, has launched its Tip-to-Tail® Program for the Gulfstream G280 business jet. As the only provider in the industry to offer Engine, Airframe and APU coverage through one comprehensive maintenance program, JSSI is the single source solution for G280 owners.

“This is another example of our JSSI team working hard to design a Tip-to-Tail program for aircraft right off the production line,” commented Kevin Thomas, Senior Vice President, Business Development & Strategic Planning for JSSI. “There are a few dozen G280 aircraft in operation right now, with many more to come, so this is a perfect time to introduce our unique program.

BLACKHAWK ANNOUNCES HORSEPOWER UPGRADE FOR FLOATPLANE Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. of Waco Texas and Wipaire, Inc. of South St. Paul, Minnesota announce FAA approval of the Blackhawk XP42A engine upgrade for operators of Cessna Model 208 and 208A Caravans on Wipline floats. This approval enables operators of these aircraft to install a new 850 horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A turboprop engine in place of the standard 600 horsepower PT6A-114 engine or the 675 horsepower PT6A-114A engines installed in these two models. Performance improvements are dramatic with the Blackhawk higher horsepower engine upgrade which greatly increases the versatility of the Caravan on floats.

“To a floatplane pilot, there is no such thing as too much horsepower,” explains Chris Dunkin, Blackhawk’s Chief Pilot. “Hot days, high altitudes, heavy loads, small lakes. When these conditions are encountered by Caravan floatplane operators, our engine upgrade makes them much easier to handle. When the lake is small and the trees are tall, that extra 175-250 horsepower really reduces the anxiety factor of getting up and away.”

JSSI INITIATES FIRST CONFERENCE IN CHINA Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), successfully hosted its inaugural private Management and Maintenance Business Aircraft Conference in China last month with more than 60 in attendance and established the JSSI Choice Awards for the greater China region.

The by-invitation only, three-day event involved industry professionals from aircraft management companies and aircraft leasing and finance businesses, as well as aircraft owners’ representatives.

As an authority on aircraft hourly cost maintenance programs, JSSI presented a detailed analysis of how programs are structured to control maintenance costs and quality, as well as enhance aircraft value. Other industry experts shared extensive presentations on aircraft finance and leasing, maintenance cost control, MRO facility interaction and aircraft acquisitions.

12 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

GET BLACKHAWK STRONG Land on runways where jets dare not go.

With an XP135A engine upgrade for the King Air C90, Blackhawk is the provider of choice for improved power, speed, range, and more. When you fly with Blackhawk, you get where you’re going quickly, safely and efficiently, with no worry about sky-high maintenance or overhaul costs.

From the ski runs of Colorado to the jungles of the Amazon, take off and land as you please. Isn’t it time for you to call a Blackhawk performance expert today?

(254) 755-6711

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info@blackhawk.aero

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www.blackhawk.aero

JETEX TO START OPERATIONS IN TURKMENISTAN Jetex Flight Support will start operations in Turkmenistan effective from January 1, 2014. This new addition to Jetex’s extensive network of locations with local presence will enhance the company’s service offering at the major airports of Turkmenistan – Ashkhabad (UTAA), Turkmenbashi (UTAK), and Turkmenabad (UTAV).

Multilingual staff, fluent in both English and Turkmen, will be available 24/7 to handle clients’ requests. Jetex will be fully capable of providing a comprehensive range of flight support services including ground handling, fueling, trip planning, permit arrangements and credit facilities in Turkmenistan. A team of dedicated professionals will provide concierge support including hotel bookings, catering arrangements and ground transport.

EMBRAER LEGACY 450 MAKES FIRST FLIGHT Embraer Executive Jets’ newest aircraft, the Legacy 450, made a successful first flight today.

Embraer test pilots Eduardo Camelier and Eugênio Cará, supported by flight test engineer Carlos Kobayashi, flew the aircraft for one hour and thirty-five minutes, conducting the evaluation of handling and performance characteristics.

“Besides setting a new standard in business aviation, delivering innovations that reflect our vision, our commitment to customers, and our passion for excellence, I congratulate all Embraer people for achieving this important Legacy 450 program milestone on the scheduled date” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer President and CEO.

GULFSTREAM CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF G650 ENTRY INTO SERVICE Gulfstream recognized the one-year anniversary of the first customer delivery of the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650. In a year’s time, the company has delivered nearly 50 G650 aircraft to customers.

“The G650 has proven to be a game-changer, not only for Gulfstream, but for business aviation overall,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “Customers continue to tell us how impressed they are with the aircraft, which sets a new world standard for performance, range, speed, safety and comfort.”

Gulfstream announced the G650 on March 13, 2008. In front of more than 7,000 employees, customers and suppliers, the aircraft rolled out under its own power on Sept. 29, 2009, and took its first flight nearly two months later, on Nov. 25, 2009. Seven flight-test aircraft participated in the flight-test program, accumulating more than 4,418 hours over 1,319 flights.

14 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

VECTOR SIGNS EXCLUSIVE MRO SUPPORT CONTRACT WITH BLACKCOMB AVIATION Vector Aerospace, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, has announced that Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services-North America (“HS-NA”), a subsidiary of Vector Aerospace and one of the world’s leading providers of helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, has signed a 5 year, exclusive MRO support contract with Blackcomb Aviation. This Agreement will cover Blackcomb Aviation’s fleet of Rolls Royce M250 Engines, Turbomeca Arriel 1 & 2 Engines, and Eurocopter AS350, AS355 and EC130 Dynamic Components.

“HS-NA is pleased to be working with Blackcomb Aviation by providing repair and overhaul support for their fleet of light Bell and Eurocopter helicopters,” says Eric Hicks, Regional Sales Director, Western Canada at HS-NA. “This contract reinforces the strong relationship we’ve maintained with Blackcomb spanning two decades.” Hicks also noted that this contract is a great example of how Vector is developing full fleet MRO solutions tailored to meet their customer’s requirements.

How many reasons do you need to upgrade with Garmin G1000®?

Do you want your King Air to fly with today’s latest flight deck technology? Things like: Moving maps, electronic charts, integrated FMS, ADS-B, traffic and weather links, plus available SVT™ 3-D synthetic vision displays. Do you want to enhance your King Air’s operational capability, safety and investment value? Do you want it to carry more – and cost less to operate?

If so, you have reason enough to get the full story on our King Air G1000® glass flight deck upgrade.

It all starts with a visit to our website: Garmin.com/kingair

©2014 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

King Air Upgrade

GLOBEAIR AUTOMATES EASA-OPS COMPLIANCE USING WEB MANUALS Web Manuals, the developer of knowledge management solutions for the aviation industry, is celebrating GlobeAir, the highly regarded European private jet operator, becoming the latest aviation business to sign up to the innovative, cloud-based compliance application for the aviation industry, Web Manuals 4 Draken.

Web Manuals Sweden AB provides the tools for end-to-end compliance automation by business jet operators, airlines, maintenance and repair organisations, airports and ground handling agents. The Web Manuals application enables the authoring, publishing, distribution and control of the entire manuals library – all in an easy-to-use tool, saving time and manpower while improving quality. Web Manuals 4 Draken ensures automatic highlighting of consequences of the continual updates to the EASA regulations.

DASSAULT FALCON 900B OPERATORS RECEIVE UNIVERSAL AVIONICS UPGRADE

Universal Avionics is pleased to announce that the first two Dassault Falcon 900B aircraft with a flight deck upgrade through a partnership program with Authorized Dealer, Duncan Aviation, have been completed and delivered.

The back-to-back aircraft deliveries demonstrate the successful integration and installation capabilities of Universal Avionics and Duncan Aviation’s partnership.

With the program gaining significant momentum, it is evident the demand for new technology for Falcon 900B operators is high.

“Universal Avionics and Duncan Aviation’s upgrade program provides new technology that the Falcon 900B community has been asking for,” said Bruce Bunevich, Universal Avionics’ Great Lakes Regional Sales Manager. “The upgrade offers significant improvements beyond current new-production aircraft, and is specifically developed for minimal transitional flight crew training,” he added. “The Falcon 900B upgrade package is a reliable investment in proven technology.”

16 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

JET AVIATION SUPPORTS 2014 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM The Jet Aviation Zurich FBO again handled the bulk of aircraft and delegates attending the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) held this year in Davos, Switzerland from January 22-25, 2014. With notably larger aircraft flying into Zurich carrying more passengers this year, Jet Aviation Zurich handled 726 movements and 1,946 passengers.

Each year, the Jet Aviation Zurich FBO ramps up to meet handling demand in the days leading up to and during the annual World Economic Forum.

Last week, Jet Aviation managed 726 WEF movements and 1,946 passengers, further supporting WEF fuel sales of more than 1,100,000 liters. The company also handled the majority of business jets at the nearby military airport in Dubendorf, Switzerland.

“Handling the massive surge in aircraft movements during WEF is a real challenge and I’m very pleased to see our FBO team of professionals rise to the occasion once again,” says Monica Beusch, general manager of Jet Aviation Zurich and head of FBO Services in EMEA and Asia. “We offered a warm welcome to numerous heads of state and other VIPs arriving in Zurich and ensured their seamless transfer to the prestigious WEF event in Davos by anticipating their needs and providing the highest quality of handling services.”

ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER EXPANDS DALLAS FACILITIES Associated Air Center (AAC), StandardAero’s Large Transport Category VIP completions center in Dallas, Texas has announced additional facilities expansion efforts and investments to accommodate recent wide body completion wins including 747-8 and 787-8 projects during the last six months.

Recently completed facility expansions include the addition of a 7,200 square foot mobile tail enclosure that measures 120’ wide, 60’ deep and stands 75’-9” tall. Weighing in at 95 tons, the tail enclosure was constructed on site and is designed to be moved with existing aircraft tugs. The mobile tail enclosure structure is equipped with fire protection system, fire alarm system, high bay lighting and low volt electrical connections throughout the structure.

In addition to the tail enclosure, AAC has incorporated a new fixed nose extension which provides the largest VIP wide body completion projects full cover and protection within its existing facilities.

CAE NAMED 5X TRAINING PROVIDER CAE and Dassault announced an agreement naming CAE as the exclusive DassaultApproved Training Provider (DATP) for the newlylaunched Dassault Falcon 5X. This includes the provision of advanced pilot, maintenance and cabin crew training for the all-new Falcon 5X long-range business jet, which was launched at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (BACE) show in October 2013.

AIR SERVICE BASEL WELCOMES A PEAK NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT DURING WEF 2014 Air Service Basel’s FBO at the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse handled an extremely busy period during this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos from 22. -25. Jan. 2014, when supporting visiting jets and their VIP passengers flying into Basel from all over the world, including many European and Overseas’ corporate and government flight departments.

The facility again proved extremely popular this year, with ASB handling the same peak number of aircraft compared to last year’s WEF event.

“Our FBO Team provided an excellent and very customerfocused handling service to all our guests,” says Air Service Basel’s CEO Claudio Lasagni,” and I am pleased that all our clients were extremely satisfied to arrive and depart in a very convenient and discreet manner.”

“With its excellent traffic connections, and still located within a convenient travelling range from Davos, the EuroAirport Basel with Air Service Basel’s FBO again proved to be a valuable alternate airport location in Switzerland during the annual WEF event.”

GULFSTREAM ADDS SUPPORT VEHICLE FOR MAJOR EVENTS Gulfstream has enhanced its support of operators attending major U.S.-based events with the addition of its biggest and most capable Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) vehicle, a specially equipped 74foot/22.6-meter tractor-trailer. The vehicle is debuting for the 2014 Super Bowl, which will be played Sunday, Feb. 2, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. “This supersized FAST vehicle allows us to better support big events that get a large volume of Gulfstream traffic,” said Mark Burns, president, Product Support, Gulfstream. “Its size alone enables us to put enough tools, parts and technicians on board to assist multiple operators simultaneously.

With built-in features such as a generator, air compressor, satellite dish and Wi-Fi, and capacity to hold equipment as large as an auxiliary power unit, it is a service center on wheels.”

18 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

THE OTHER SWISS MOVEMENTS Swiss timepieces are renowned for their inherent quality, exquisite detail, and careful craftsmanship. Like the PC-12 NG which is one of the most popular turbine-powered business aircraft on the market today. Or our training systems: Thousands of military pilots all round the world have earned their wings with one of our proven aircraft.

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd • Switzerland • Phone +41 41 619 61 11 • www.pilatus-aircraft.com

PLEASE VISIT US AT CHALET CD73 ON DISPLAY

PEOPLE FlightSafety International has announced that Kelly Allender has been named Manager of the company’s Learning Center in Dallas, Texas. He replaces Daniel MacLellan who was recently promoted to Vice President, Operations.

ated by our Customers and Teammates who train and work at the Dallas Center.”

It also has announced that Dann Runik has been promoted to Executive Director, Advanced Training Programs, Marin Todorov has been promoted to Manager, Specialty and Enrichment Training Programs and Randy Annett has been promoted to Manager of the company’s Learning Center in Tucson, Arizona.

Greenpoint Technologies, has announced the promotion of Mark Keilholz to Vice President, Information Technology (IT) and Annika Wicklund to Director, Design.

Most recently employed with Rocket Engineering, an aftermarket turboprop conversion firm, Mr. Carter brings to his new role a wealth of experience in certifying and marketing high-value aircraft performance modifications.

Robert Clare, Director of Sales for Universal Avionics, has announced that Chris Cannady has been appointed as OEM Sales Manager for the company.

Based out of Universal Avionics’ U.S. Midwest Office in Wichita, Kansas, Mr. Cannady’s overall responsibility is to develop and

Gulfstream has appointed Fabio Rebello as regional

maintain existing sales of the company’s products to U.S. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

“Chris brings a broad range of avionics knowledge and technical sales experience to this position,” said Robert Clare. “He has the capability and depth that will benefit Universal Avionics in its continued development of advanced avionics solutions in the forward fit market,” he added. Clare also announced that Robert Randall has been appointed to the position of Senior Sales Manager, U.S. for the company. In this new role, Mr. Randall will manage Universal Avionics’ Regional Sales Managers and oversee all Authorized Dealer sales for the United States.

Finally Vector Aerospace has announced that Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services –

Kelly Allender

Chris Cannady

Fabio Rebello

Dann Runik “We congratulate Kelly on his new position as Manager of the Dallas Learning Center,” said Greg McGowan, Senior Vice President Operations. “His experience, leadership skills and commitment to provide high quality programs and outstanding service will be appreci20 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

senior vice president, International Sales, Florida and Latin America. It also recently appointed Kevin Brink sales director, North American Sales, Northwest; Kevin Dutton vice president, Operations Finance and Scott Clarey sales director, North American Sales, Southwest.

The Sales and Support staff at Sierra Industries has announced the arrival of aviation veteran Patrick Carter.

Elise Nicole Bair

Robert Randall

North America (“HS-NA”), a subsidiary of Vector Aerospace and one of the world’s leading providers of helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services is pleased to welcome Elise Nicole Bair on board as the new Regional Sales Manager for the Western US region.

WHERE THE MINDS OF ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION MEET

APRIL 15, 16, 17, 2014

If your profession involves business aviation or if you’re looking for a tool to help your business grow, you won’t want to miss the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE), returning to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre in Shanghai, China April 15, 16, 17, 2014.

• • • •

EXHIBITS STATIC DISPLAY OF AIRCRAFT EDUCATION SESSIONS ALL MAJOR AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

WWW.ABACE.AERO

TEXTRON TO ACQUIRE BEECH HOLDINGS Beechcraft Corporation announced that Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) has agreed to acquire Beech Holdings, LLC, the parent of Beechcraft Corporation, for approximately $1.4 billion in cash.

Bill Boisture, CEO of Beechcraft, said: “This transaction represents an important step forward in the evolution of Beechcraft’s business. The team at Beechcraft has worked tirelessly to strengthen our core business and to maintain our position as a leader in a highly competitive environment. Textron’s experience in the industry and its willingness to invest in and maintain the iconic Beechcraft brand make it an ideal parent company, one that will help us continue to satisfy our customers and meet our business objectives at a faster pace.”

Since its emergence from Chapter 11 protection in February 2013, the market has responded positively to the new Beechcraft Corporation. The company’s strong aircraft delivery numbers in the first three quarters of this year and the securing of its highest booking rates in the past three years are evidence of Beechcraft’s renewed growth in the market.

Under the terms of the transaction, Textron will acquire the Hawker 4000 and Premier IA type certificates. Maintenance services for the aircraft will continue through Beechcraft’s factory-owned service center network, Hawker Beechcraft Services, and Authorized Service Centers around the world with Hawker 4000 and Premier ratings. Beechcraft will continue to provide uninterrupted service and support for all Hawker 4000 and Premier aircraft.

Holders representing equity interests in Beech Holdings sufficient to approve the transaction have delivered proxies authorizing written consents in favor of the transaction. The transaction was unanimously supported by Beechcraft’s board of directors and is expected to close during the first half of 2014, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. The definitive agreement includes a customary no-shop provision with exceptions permitting Beech Holdings to respond to, evaluate and, under certain circumstances, accept an 22 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

unsolicited proposal that is superior to the transaction with Textron, in which case a termination fee of $48 million will be payable by Beech Holdings to Textron.

Credit Suisse acted as lead financial advisor to Beech Holdings on the transaction and Morgan Stanley also served as a financial advisor. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Beech Holdings on the transaction.

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SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT ACQUIRES OF MAGUIRE AVIATION AT VAN NUYS Signature Flight Support Corporation, a

BBA Aviation company, announced that it has completed the acquisition of the assets of Maguire Aviation Group, LLC at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY). Through this acquisition, Signature Flight Support has expanded its FBO facility at Van Nuys Airport with a combined footprint of 1.17 million sq. ft. of hangar, ramp, passenger lounges and office space. The expanded Signature Flight Support footprint at Van Nuys provides customers with the added convenience of multiple locations on the field for FBO services and aircraft storage.

Since 2005, Maguire Aviation has offered a full range of flight support services to both tenant and transient business and general aviation customers. In 2012, Maguire Aviation also completed the construction of a dedicated NetJets facility at Van Nuys.

Maria Sastre, President and Chief Operating Officer of Signature Flight Support stated, “Maguire Aviation is an excellent flight support provider at one of the premier airport locations in the world.

The expanded Signature Flight Support footprint created by this acquisition provides our customers with additional worldclass flight support services at Van Nuys.

We are excited to welcome the staff of Maguire Aviation to the Signature Flight Support global family. We also look forward to serving an expanded base of Signature Flight Support customers” Commenting on the acquisition, Robert Maguire, Founder and CEO of Maguire Aviation stated, “We have a great franchise at Van Nuys Airport and Signature Flight Support was our clear choice. It is an outstanding company and we have found them excellent to work with. We are thrilled that our customers will enjoy the worldclass customer service Signature Flight Support is known for. While Signature will operate the campus of FBOs and hangars, Maguire Investments will develop a combined footprint totaling 900,000 sq.ft. of hangar, office and passenger lounge space, as well as ramp area, in coordination with Signature.”

The newly acquired entity will be branded Signature Flight Support, except for the NetJets facility, and will offer exemplary customer service and facilities. Signature Flight Support customer network benefits will be offered including Signature Status® and Signature TailWins® customer rewards programs.

Van Nuys Airport serves the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and currently ranks as the sixth busiest airport in the world with over 250,000 total aircraft movements in 2012. Its proximity to downtown Los Angeles makes Van Nuys a convenient and attractive gateway for business and leisure travelers including the Hollywood entertainment industry.

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D E D I C AT E D T O H E L P I N G B U S I N E S S A C H I E V E I T S H I G H E S T G O A L S .

SAVE THE DATE: 2015 NBAA SCHEDULERS & DISPATCHERS CONFERENCE FEBRUARY 4 – 6, 2015

SAN JOSE, CA

If you share any responsibility for scheduling and dispatching business aircraft – regardless of your position in the flight department – save the date for February 4 – 6, 2015 and join us for the 2015 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. This will no doubt be your single best face-to-face educational opportunity of the year:  Education sessions designed to increase your job performance all year long  Networking and shared best practices with over 2,500 of your peers  Face-to-face meetings with nearly every vendor you do business with throughout the year

For general information on the conference, visit www.nbaa.org/sdc/bart

Updated information about the 2015 conference – including the complete agenda and registration – will be available online in Fall 2014.

EUROPEAN UPDATE

EASA REPORTS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN AVIATION SAFETY

The start of 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of commercial aviation together with the achievement of the best safety record in aviation history. Worldwide fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes were lower in 2013 than any other year in the last decade, with 17 accidents, compared with a yearly average of 27. In line with this reduction in the number of fatal accidents, there has been a significant reduction in the number of fatalities worldwide: in 2013 there were 224 fatalities, compared with a yearly average of 703 between 2003 and 2012.

There were no fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes in EASA Member States in 2013. In the same year, airline operators in EASA Member States performed approximately 6 million commercial air transport flights, transporting over 800 million passengers.

“Europe continues to have one of the strongest safety records in the world, however this positive picture cannot be taken for granted; as traffic over European skies and worldwide increases, we need to continue our efforts to maintain and even improve aviation safety”, commented Patrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA.

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CEPA ATTENDED BY RECORD NUMBER OF DELEGATES, 2014 LOCATION ANNOUNCED

The fourth annual CEPA (Central Europe Private Aviation) Expo, held in Prague on 26-28th November has been attended by a record number of delegates making it the most successful event yet. The delegates, partners and sponsors took part in some lively debates that ensued from the panel sessions and networked with an extensive range of industry colleagues. Following the opening by 2013 CEPA Chairman, Philippe Lienard, the Director of Foreign Trade at The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, welcomed the conference attendees and confirmed its commitment to help growing business aviation in the region.

At the start of the second day of the event, it was announced by CEPA Founder, Dagmar Grossmann, that the location for the 2014 Expo would be Prague Airport and that, for the first time, a static display of business aviation aircraft would be featured as part of the show agenda. Jiri Pos, CEO of Prague airport, gave a presentation detailing the Masterplan for the growth of the airport and reinforced its commitment to CEPA. Dagmar Grossmann said “CEPA is delighted that Mr Pos has agreed for the 2014 CEPA Expo to be held at Prague Airport, one of the CEE (Central and Eastern European) regions’ key gateways and growth areas for business aviation. The conference is growing so fast that a new location which enables us to have a static display was naturally the next step”.

Amongst the attendees at this year’s event were aircraft operators, the key MROs, leading banks and financiers, aircraft brokers, lawyers as well as local government departments and airport operators. Some of the main themes generated from the panels and presentations included: the concern over increasing bureaucracy of taxation and regulation, the desire for the whole of the Europe to adopt the Cape Town Convention and how the industry needs to work together to grow the market instead of fighting for the same business. For the first time the synergies between business and commercial aviation were explored at the event. Philippe Lienard said “It was important to involve both commercial and private aviation in the Expo. We invited key influencers in the industry who explored both sectors and who talked about the shared issues. There is still a lot that commercial airlines can offer to business jet operators and vice versa”.

The CEE market was reviewed by Richard Koe, Managing Director at WINGX Advance who commented that there has been an “extended recession in Europe for Aviation”. The data proved that during the period since 2008, the ‘CEPA countries’ have seen an increase in business aviation traffic with ‘non CEPA countries’ experiencing a decline. The fastest growing country in the region is Ukraine which has seen an increase in its business aviation movements by 74% since 2008. With regards to OEM activity in the CEPA countries, the delegates heard that there has been a notable decline in Piper, Learjet, Dassault and Cessna fleets, a stabilization of Bombardier’s other models and the Gulfstream fleet and a marked increase in the presence of Hawker and Pilatus aircraft in the CEE region.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Kohout, PhD, attended the third and final day of the event and talked about the importance of aviation to international political communication. Dr Kohout said “There are some topics that just cannot be discussed over Skype, the conversation has to take place face to face and aviation is critical for this”.

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24 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

201 20 014

BUSINESS AVIATION: Making a Difference in Europe.

500 Exhibits 60 Aircraft 12,000 Attendees

www.ebace.aero

CEO S CORNER

BUSINESS AVIATION FOR DUMMIES MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT LOOKS

By Fabio Gamba EXPLAINING WHAT BUSINESS Aviation is; how the sector functions and the challenges it faces is not an easy exercise, but a very important one.

I think you have to begin by acknowledging that Business Aviation can be quite head-scratching –it boasts different types of business models and it can be relatively complex to fathom in its entirety. But we have a story to tell – a story that we are proud of – a story that is complementary, but dissociated from, the one of airlines.

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

So, what exactly is Business Aviation?

As its name implies, this is Aviation FOR Business. In the U.S. they have recently rebranded the Air Transport Association (ATA) into the Airlines for America (A4A). We are the Airlines for European Business. Our members are operators that transport people and freight for Business on a perdemand basis. Some do it for remuneration (air taxis), some do it for their owners (non-commercial corporate), some do both and some pursue a hybrid concept of fractional ownership. These three concepts cover the ensemble of Business Aviation’s activities.

26 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

For ICAO, non-commercial activities are covered by the generic term “General Aviation”. Business Aviation is just ONE of the many facets of General Aviation. Recreational flights, aerial works, training, etc., whether effectuated by balloons, gliders, noncomplex or complex machines and propelled by pistons, turbo or jets, all fall under the same, one-size-fits-all category, i.e. General Aviation.

Commercial air taxi operations however fall under CAT and this creates confusion. But to cut a long story short, let’s say that Business Aviation covers on-demand, i.e. non-scheduled, activities with complex machines. It is worth noting that whilst in the U.S. non-commercial business aircraft operations predominate, for a variety of reasons the opposite is the case in Europe, with commercial operations comprising around 65% of Business Aviation activity.

The European Parliament acknowledged the importance of the sector in a 2009 Resolution on “the Sustainable Future of General and Business Aviation.” That I must say was a landmark publication in that, following the footsteps of the Commission through a similar Declaration, The European Parliament invited all to take stock of the formidable and fast transformation of the sector into a force to be reckoned with, and to take into account its interests when crafting new legislation. That put us suddenly on the map!

But things change…

Like any competitive sector, Business Aviation is a tough one. Competition is cut-throat, business is fragmented, and rules are not necessarily equal to all.

Today there are around 800 commercial operators offering their services to some 3m business passengers in Europe. Around 2/3 (i.e. 1,400 flights/day) of all our movements in Europe are done by air taxi, the rest (around 700 flights/day) is operated non-commercially (mostly corporations, only 3% of the total by individuals). At its peak in 2008, BusAv

accounted for 8% of all IFR movements in Europe (more than 20% in the U.S.). Today the figure is closer to 6%. We’ve clearly suffered from a double dip recession, first in 2009 (a real annus horribilis, with -14% in terms of movements), and then again in 2012 (-4%) and 2013 (-2%). We see the end of the tunnel now as the economy recovers, and are hopeful for 2014, but these are challenging times for Business Aviation.

We’re seeing a first wave of consolidation. Obviously Mergers & Acquisitions in our sector don’t make headlines as in the airlines’ industry, due to the size of the transactions involved, and I doubt you have heard, let alone followed, any of the M&A activities taking place in 2013. Yet it is happening: alliances are being formed, and there were some recent interesting acquisitions. Not to the point of transforming the sector yet, but enough to profile it for new challenges. The good thing about going through two successive crises is that you learn how to get more resilient in a survival-of-the-fittest contest. If you’ve made it through eventually, you can look at the future with equanimity, as your fundamentals must be right.

My point here might come as a surprise, but in order to weather tough times our priority is not to focus on operating costs, unlike the airlines for which this is crucial. We do have high operating costs, probably amongst the highest in the world, due to such things as ATC charges, security, national taxes and a heavy regulatory environment – all of which make Europe the costliest continent in which to operate. But in fairness we represent a sector where our customers are much less price-sensitive than the family with 2 children flying low-cost to the Baleares. Our customers are more interested in getting to the right place at the right time with the minimum wasted travelling time.

We’re more sensitized to other aspects. Perhaps the most important one is ACCESS to infrastructure, on the ground and in the air. The good news is that it is remediable, especially if tackled timely and adequately.

The less good news is that it originates from one single root cause, one that is less easy to tackle. I am speaking here of PERCEPTION, or rather MISPERCEPTION of our value to the European economy. This misperception leads to inadequate policy-making and bad press, with obvious political consequences.

Take for instance the EU ETS. It is symptomatic that within days of the announcement by the Commission of a Directive on Emissions back in 2008, the fate of Business Aviation was sealed in a way that is incommensurable with respect to airlines. First, the Tonne/Kilometer method makes us cover 95% of our historic emissions (against 15% for airlines!). Second, our sector got split in two (commercial vs. non-commercial), which makes no sense; after all, a non-commercial flight emits CO2 in the exact same way as a commercial flight.

These are testimony of a lack of understanding of the sector. And I can take other examples: slots, State aids, etc., the conclusions are the same.

We’re seen as rich people’s toys, transporting only the famous and the wealthy; there is a form of relentlessness against our activities that sometimes border on obstinacy and populism. But please don’t take this as whining. We are responsible for this.

I mean it. And we do our best to address it.

Getting back to the question of access, in the past, Business Aviation was allowed into Heathrow or other main airports. But we got progressively marginalized from these, and other, hubs. OK, it’s not that we’re desperately seeking access to these airports. Their capacity at handling traffic in a flexible way is notoriously poor, and flexibility is one of the top 3 aspects our customers rely on.

Because of holding delays, long taxying routes and so on, unless for interlining purposes, it make no sense for us to fly there. But the same cannot be said about secondary airports, the Brussels, Geneva, Düsseldorf or Luton of this world. When they are schedule facilitated, Business Aviation can find a modus vivendi in coordination with airlines and the airport in question. But when these become level 3 fully-coordinated airports, we lose our historical rights.

The new proposal doesn’t fix this. It took us a lot of efforts and the graceful support of a few to eventually redress, on a number of points, original imbalances. What we are the most content with is that the current text now caters for the possibility given to MS and their airports to adopt measures for non-scheduled traffic as they see fit. In case Business Aviation is believed to be important for the area, airports should be allowed to treat them with ad hoc measures.

This is what Geneva for instance, with its guaranteed two-movements/hour to Business Aviation, or Vienna, did. Hopefully other airports will follow suit.

Similarly with the new Guidelines on State aids at regional airports, where the Commission is looking at ending State support to a list of regional airports below 1m pax/year, on the ground that if an airport cannot survive through its own means, it must close down. What about public utility?

Business Aviation is a model that provides thin connectivity to around 100,000 city-pairs, an unrivalled network of connections in Europe. This is 3 times more than scheduled operators. It must have access to regional airports, those that are endangered by the new Guidelines. Business Aviation alone cannot generate enough movements, passengers and

revenue at a given airport to ensure its economic viability. Unfortunately this is not a point that the European Parliament will be asked to comment.

For such an important topic, I believe it should.

But we don’t just sit back with arms folded; for instance, where access is compromised, we finance, with our own means, trials to test technical solutions, such as the one we’re about to launch at Frankfurt. The objective of these trials is to demonstrate that BizAv movements can intercalate between two arrivals or departures without impacting by opting for a steeper SID/STAR and by taking off or landing at a displaced threshold.

But without political support, we can’t achieve much. We’re obviously discussing this with the SESAR Joint Undertaking, but interestingly enough, these types of projects don’t seem to constitute a priority. This is surprising, as a positive outcome of these trials would result in a win-win.

Back to perception: we’re elitist, we’re expensive and we’re secretive.

That might be true for some. But we’re also vital for business, and will become even more so with the rapid globalization of the world’s economy.

In truth, we are an imperceptible complement to air transport. I know it. Our passengers know it. So what’s the problem? Our colleagues from IAOPA have started addressing the issue with a campaign – “GA Connecting Europe” – to obtain from MS that a more proportionate level of safety be required in function of the complexity of operations. That may sound like a truism. But unfortunately GA is still seen today through a onesize-fits-all perspective, and I encourage them to continue their campaign.

As a matter of fact, because the group of operators represented by IAOPA – mostly NCO (non-complex) operators – suffers from the same misperception, we have this project in common to encourage the creation of a European Parliament’s inter-group to deal specifically with non-scheduled, GA/BA operations. This is an exciting project, and I am confident that by keeping a group abreast of any major developments, it will increase our visibility and hence contribute to improve our image.

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2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

THE REAL MEANING OF BUSINESS AVIATION

By Paul Walsh

Perhaps the most striking thing about this year s fleet report is that certain sections of the Business Aviation market are stronger than ever, which really just confirms what we already knew: that even when times are tough Business Aviation remains an indispensible business tool.

T DISCOVERY

Emerging markets are opening up to the value of Business Aviation.

his picture is clearest in the emerging markets of Brazil, China and Russia which stayed strong throughout the recession with new customers and companies opening themselves up to the value of Business Aviation. From the data that’s available it’s clear that these markets continue to grow.

Taken together, the Business Aviation fleet grew from 33,020 aircraft in 2012 to 33,950 aircraft last year, that’s a total of 960 new aircraft representing growth of 2.8%, up from 2.6% last year. It was even better news for the worldwide jet fleet which grew by 3.1% from 18,897 air-

28 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

craft to 19,478 units with turboprops growing by 2.5% from 13,768 to 14,113 aircraft.

Deliveries For their part the General Aviation Manufacturers Association report that airplane shipments rose 6.8% over the same period last year, from 1,419 to 1,516 shipments. Billings for GA airplanes worldwide in the first nine months reached $15.4 billion, up 24.5% from the same period last year, when they totaled $12.4 billion.

Single and multi-engine turboprop shipments continued their positive trajectory, increasing 10.3% and 42.4 percent, respectively. Piston engine airplanes increased 7.9% to 667 shipments compared to 618 airplane shipments in 2012. However, business jet shipments were down from 430 units in the first nine months of 2012 to 421 in 2013.

“The strong level of energy and positive mood of customers at NBAA’s convention this year reflects the industry’s continued recovery from the recession and gives GAMA members good reason to feel optimistic about the future,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said.

The Established Markets Looking to our fleet report by continent it seems that much of the good news is coming from the US where the BizAv fleet grew by 2.5% from 18,287 units in 2012 to 18,756 last year. Up north the Canadian fleet grew by 6.6% from 1,224 in 2012 to 1,306 last year, with the Mexican market also showing promise growing by 4.4% from 1,161 to 1,213 units.

In Europe, however, the Business Aviation market fell again, dropping by 1.3% with the total European fleet now standing at 4,016 aircraft.

Commenting on this, George Galanopoulos, Managing Director of London Executive Aviation (LEA) notes that while the situation is definitely improving, people still hesitate before taking a long and expensive Business Aviation flight. “It’s a bit psychological, even if you own a large jet and can afford to fly it to New York, sometimes it doesn’t feel right, especially if a company you own is laying off staff.”

Nonetheless Galanopoulos notes that LEA’s movements are up by about 15% on the previous year. “I know that Eurocontrol’s figures show a drop in

Business Aviation flights, but honestly: we don’t see it, so I can only guess that this is taking place in among corporates or in the light jet segment.”

Meanwhile, Niall Olver, CEO of ExecuJet confirmed that while the European market is mostly flat, the large jet segment is still buoyant.

“Since 2009-2010 the recession hasn’t really hurt this part of the market.”

But he adds that the European light jet segment “dead,” and that he foresees little growth there in the near future.

“These days people are more likely to see a light jet for what it is; a depreciating asset, that just isn’t that cool anymore.”

“What’s happened is that Business Aviation has become a commodity focused on saving time and improving people’s business lives. The reason that large corporations are still interested in investing in large aircraft is because they offer concrete productivity benefits. Of course light jets bring benefits too, but percentage wise they can have a big impact on a smaller company’s balance sheet, so they’re more difficult to justify.”

Olver adds that the market is still suffering from the after effects of the “feeding-frenzy” that took place prior to the 2007 market crash. “As a result there’s an oversupply in the light and mid-sized jet segment with people still finding it very difficult to sell jets of those sizes.”

Finally he says that the ease of getting an AOC in Europe, ensures that the Business Aviation sector remains inefficient and fragmented. “Many in the aviation industry are determined to make their own way, starting off with one aircraft and then perhaps adding another. But usually they’ll sell charter hours at unrealistic prices, making life difficult for some of the larger operators. It’s also very difficult to scale up from this point. Indeed, only companies with large operations can really make it work.”

On this point George Galanopoulos, Managing Director of London Executive Aviation is philosophical.

“This proliferation of smaller operators isn’t something new; it was around 15 years ago. But nowadays with the regulatory burden really increasing, it’s getting more difficult for the smaller guys, and I think that eventually charter pricing will increase to more realistic levels.

TOP TEN BUSINESS FLEETS BY COUNTRY United States

18756

Brazil

1564

Canada

1306

Mexico

1213

Venezuela

684

Germany

681

United Kingdom

588

Australia

571

South Africa

462

France

413

And it’s not all bad news in Europe with some bring spots including Russia, with its fleet growing by 12.3% and now totaling 182 units. One company that continues to experience rapid growth in Russia is Gulfstream, which has seen its Russia based business-jet fleet grow more than six-fold in the last six years.

“We sold our first aircraft to a Russian customer in 2002,” says Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “And have experienced remarkable growth since then.

We have the biggest market share in the large-cabin segment, but we’ve also had success with sales of our mid-cabin models. 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.”

Indeed, 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.

Aside from Russia there’s also fleet growth in countries such as Poland, the Ukraine, Ireland and Austria.

Meanwhile the United Kingdom’s fleet remains unchanged at 588 aircraft.

Emerging Markets Looking beyond Europe it’s clear that many parts of the world are seeing Business Aviation’s unique benefits. South America is a case in point where fleet growth clocked in at 7.1 percent, a jump of 221 aircraft from 2,967 to 3,188 last year.

Brazil is still leading the way in South America with fleet growth of 7.2% going from 1,458 in 2012 to 1,564 last year. Then there’s Argentina boasting fleet growth of 5.2% and a total fleet of 323 aircraft and Colombia where fleet numbers grew by 10% to 317 aircraft.

Dassault delivered an estimated five Falcons to Brazilian customers during 2013 and is the market leader in the Brazilian large cabin business jet segment with about 60% market share.

“Brazil has been at the center of the world stage over the past couple of years. It’s a dynamic country with a very healthy and diversified economy,” said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet. “Our commitment to Brazil has steadily progressed since we sold our first new airplane there over thirty years ago.”

Asia There was also good news coming from Asia where the total Business Aviation fleet went from 2,025 units in 2012 to 2,226. This year China’s fleet grew by 19.5% to 292 aircraft, making it the country with the largest fleet in Asia.

Olver expects that China will continue to be a growth area over the next couple of years, “although it’s not going to be as strong as some people have made out. For instance it doesn’t make sense to make direct extrapolations based on the population, because the region faces issues that we don’t have to deal with in the West.”

“But, while the market may be slowing down, there’s unlikely to be the sort of downturn experienced say in Europe or other parts of the world recently. Also the infrastructure is improving, and the deregulation of airspace is taking place much faster than many had predicted.”

TOP

The US still boasts the world s largest Business Aviation fleet.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 29

JET SUMMARY BY MODEL MFG/MODEL TOTAL AIRBUS A310-200 2 AIRBUS A310-300 17 AIRBUS A320-200 14 AIRBUS A330-200 2 AIRBUS A340-200 7 AIRBUS A340-300X 2 AIRBUS A340-500 3 AIRBUS A340-600 2 AIRBUS ACJ318 18 AIRBUS ACJ319 66 AIRBUS ACJ320 8 ASTRA 1125 32 ASTRA 1125SP 32 ASTRA 1125SPX 57 AVRO RJ-70 1 BAC 1-11 11 BAE 146-100 6 BAE 146-200 1 BEECHJET 400 53 BEECHJET 400A 313 BOEING 707-120B 3 BOEING 707-320 7 BOEING 707-320B 10 BOEING 707-320C 17 BOEING 727-100 42 BOEING 727-200 1 BOEING 727-200 ADVANCED 21 BOEING 737-200 4 BOEING 737-200 ADVANCED 17 BOEING 737-300 9 BOEING 737-400 4 BOEING 737-500 7 BOEING 737-700 3 BOEING 737-700C 8 BOEING 737-800 6 BOEING 747-200B 2 BOEING 747-300 1 BOEING 747-400 6 BOEING 747-400M 2 BOEING 747-8I 2 BOEING 747SP 11 BOEING 757-200 15 BOEING 767-200 1 BOEING 767-200ER 8 BOEING 767-300ER 5 BOEING 777-200 1 BOEING 777-200ER 2 BOEING 777-200LR 1 BOEING BBJ 120 BOEING BBJ2 20 BOEING BBJ3 6 BOMBARDIER CRJ100 5 BOMBARDIER CRJ200 14 CHALLENGER 300 420 CHALLENGER 600 69 CHALLENGER 601-1A 55 CHALLENGER 601-3A 132 CHALLENGER 601-3R 59 CHALLENGER 604 355 CHALLENGER 605 219 CHALLENGER 800 11 CHALLENGER 850 56 CHALLENGER 870 5 CHALLENGER 890 3

EUROPE 2 9 1 1 0 2 1 1 4 34 1 0 0 2 1 1 4 0 1 20 0 1 1 2 1 0 4 0 1 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 17 4 1 2 0 61 1 1 12 3 68 51 1 28 1 0

CITATION 500 CITATION 525 CITATION BRAVO CITATION CJ1 CITATION CJ1+ CITATION CJ2 CITATION CJ2+ CITATION CJ3 CITATION CJ4 CITATION ENCORE CITATION ENCORE+ CITATION EXCEL CITATION I CITATION I/SP CITATION II CITATION II/SP CITATION III CITATION M2 CITATION MUSTANG CITATION S/II CITATION SOVEREIGN CITATION ULTRA CITATION V CITATION VI CITATION VII CITATION X CITATION XLS CITATION XLS+ DIAMOND I DIAMOND IA DORNIER 328JET DORNIER ENVOY 3 ECLIPSE 550 ECLIPSE EA500 EMBRAER ERJ-135 EMBRAER LEGACY 600 EMBRAER LEGACY 650 EMBRAER LEGACY SHUTTLE EMBRAER LINEAGE 1000 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 EMBRAER PHENOM 300 FALCON 10 FALCON 100 FALCON 200 FALCON 2000 FALCON 2000DX FALCON 2000EX FALCON 2000EX EASy FALCON 2000LX FALCON 2000S FALCON 20C FALCON 20C-5 FALCON 20D FALCON 20D-5 FALCON 20E FALCON 20E-5 FALCON 20F FALCON 20F-5 FALCON 20G FALCON 50 FALCON 50-40 FALCON 50EX FALCON 7X FALCON 900 FALCON 900C

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2013 250 342 329 195 101 238 217 396 139 164 65 361 23 288 565 71 190 4 439 151 345 272 254 35 115 308 323 152 3 54 13 12 2 262 2 166 52 10 15 289 161 122 31 29 229 4 26 106 121 7 80 19 29 2 36 13 80 74 5 235 7 98 197 176 25

29 70 56 39 32 56 65 67 21 9 3 48 7 26 58 19 10 0 95 9 38 9 9 4 11 21 85 41 1 3 2 5 0 25 0 53 11 1 1 28 20 11 7 3 40 1 7 40 32 1 21 4 7 0 14 8 7 2 5 37 0 13 84 39 8

FALCON 900DX FALCON 900EX FALCON 900EX EASy FALCON 900LX FOKKER 100 FOKKER 70 FOKKER F28-1000 GLOBAL 5000 GLOBAL 6000 GLOBAL EXPRESS GLOBAL EXPRESS XRS GULFSTREAM G-100 GULFSTREAM G-150 GULFSTREAM G-200 GULFSTREAM G-280 GULFSTREAM G-300 GULFSTREAM G-350 GULFSTREAM G-400 GULFSTREAM G-450 GULFSTREAM G-500 GULFSTREAM G-550 GULFSTREAM G-650 GULFSTREAM G-II GULFSTREAM G-IIB GULFSTREAM G-III GULFSTREAM G-IV GULFSTREAM G-IVSP GULFSTREAM G-V HAWKER 1000A HAWKER 1000B HAWKER 125-1A HAWKER 125-1AS HAWKER 125-1B HAWKER 125-3A HAWKER 125-3A/RA HAWKER 125-3A/RAS HAWKER 125-3AS HAWKER 125-3B HAWKER 125-3B/RAS HAWKER 125-400A HAWKER 125-400AS HAWKER 125-400B HAWKER 125-400BS HAWKER 125-600A HAWKER 125-600AS HAWKER 125-600B HAWKER 125-600BS HAWKER 125-700A HAWKER 125-700B HAWKER 4000 HAWKER 400XP HAWKER 750 HAWKER 800A HAWKER 800B HAWKER 800XP HAWKER 800XPI HAWKER 850XP HAWKER 900XP JET COMMANDER 1121 JET COMMANDER 1121B JETSTAR 6 JETSTAR 731 JETSTAR 8 JETSTAR II LEARJET 23

24 118 118 27 3 1 1 139 63 145 153 22 99 240 20 13 11 22 270 9 420 49 126 37 169 186 303 187 44 6 17 9 11 2 7 1 1 9 1 15 40 13 3 13 12 2 1 158 27 70 241 47 225 51 415 51 97 179 6 6 1 9 5 21 11

13 26 38 7 3 1 0 42 27 35 53 2 13 27 0 0 0 0 31 1 80 8 0 1 1 7 13 12 4 3 1 0 9 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 9 14 7 14 16 4 11 33 24 13 26 0 0 0 2 0 1 1

TURBOPROPS LEARJET 24 LEARJET 24A LEARJET 24B LEARJET 24D LEARJET 24E LEARJET 24F LEARJET 25 LEARJET 25B LEARJET 25C LEARJET 25D LEARJET 25G LEARJET 28 LEARJET 29 LEARJET 31 LEARJET 31A LEARJET 35 LEARJET 35A LEARJET 36 LEARJET 36A LEARJET 40 LEARJET 40XR LEARJET 45 LEARJET 45XR LEARJET 55 LEARJET 55B LEARJET 55C LEARJET 60 LEARJET 60XR LEARJET 70 LEARJET 75 LOCKHEED L-1011-500 MDD DC-8-62H MDD DC-8-72 MDD DC-9-10 MDD DC-9-30 MDD MD-81 MDD MD-83 DOUGLAS MD-87 NEXTANT 400XT PREMIER I PREMIER IA SABRELINER 40 SABRELINER 40A SABRELINER 40EL SABRELINER 40EX SABRELINER 40R SABRELINER 40SE SABRELINER 60 SABRELINER 60A SABRELINER 60AELXM SABRELINER 60EL SABRELINER 60ELXM SABRELINER 60EX SABRELINER 60SCELXM SABRELINER 60SCEX SABRELINER 65 SABRELINER 80 SABRELINER 80A SABRELINER 80SC SYBERJET SJ30-2 WESTWIND 1 WESTWIND 1123 WESTWIND 1124 WESTWIND 2 Total Jets

29 3 20 56 14 9 26 65 12 125 3 5 2 34 203 40 442 15 38 40 91 237 202 113 6 13 311 111 1 5 2 2 1 4 1 1 2 11 31 121 155 22 26 7 2 2 1 37 2 1 3 33 4 2 1 73 25 3 7 3 93 7 47 77 19.418

0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 8 0 43 0 4 13 7 28 14 12 1 0 37 17 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 3 18 31 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.730

MFG/MODEL AVANTI II AVANTI P180 CARAVAN 208 CARAVAN 208B CARAVAN 208B EX CHEYENNE 400 CHEYENNE I CHEYENNE IA CHEYENNE II CHEYENNE III CHEYENNE IIIA CHEYENNE IIXL CONQUEST I CONQUEST II DE HAVILLAND DHC-2T DE HAVILLAND DHC-3T GULFSTREAM G-I JETSTREAM 31 JETSTREAM 32 JETSTREAM 41 KING AIR 100 KING AIR 200 KING AIR 200C KING AIR 200T KING AIR 250 KING AIR 300 KING AIR 300LW KING AIR 350 KING AIR 350C KING AIR 350i KING AIR 90 KING AIR A/B90 KING AIR A100 KING AIR A200 KING AIR A90 KING AIR A90-1 KING AIR B100 KING AIR B200 KING AIR B200C KING AIR B200CT KING AIR B200GT KING AIR B200SE KING AIR B200T KING AIR B90 KING AIR C90 KING AIR C90-1 KING AIR C90A KING AIR C90B KING AIR C90GT KING AIR C90GTi KING AIR C90GTx KING AIR C90SE KING AIR E90 KING AIR F90 KING AIR F90-1 KODIAK 100 MERLIN 300 MERLIN IIA MERLIN IIB MERLIN III MERLIN IIIA

TOTAL 122 99 419 1.606 63 39 169 17 351 75 53 74 206 312 50 80 62 90 125 89 46 689 31 20 63 210 18 714 52 123 26 12 103 224 73 121 119 1.087 117 9 114 5 23 108 432 40 218 420 97 123 99 16 281 187 30 87 9 2 35 27 35

Jet Fleet EUROPE 45 44 37 97 9 6 15 4 43 6 13 6 15 9 0 0 3 12 24 23 0 48 1 2 6 3 7 44 6 9 1 0 4 1 4 2 3 109 7 0 15 1 1 5 36 0 18 29 5 12 10 0 14 7 3 0 2 0 4 1 6

13.7%

86.3% World

Europe

Turboprop Fleet

9.1%

90.89%

Europe

World

Total Fleet

88.2% World

11.8% Europe

MERLIN IIIB 55 MERLIN IIIC 24 MERLIN IV 6 MERLIN IV-A 22 MERLIN IV-C 19 MITSUBISHI MARQUISE 85 MITSUBISHI MU-2C 16 MITSUBISHI MU-2D 1 MITSUBISHI MU-2F 34 MITSUBISHI MU-2G 2 MITSUBISHI MU-2J 27 MITSUBISHI MU-2K 39 MITSUBISHI MU-2L 13 MITSUBISHI MU-2M 19 MITSUBISHI MU-2N 25 MITSUBISHI MU-2P 30 MITSUBISHI MU-2S 17 MITSUBISHI SOLITAIRE 42 PILATUS PC-12 NG 419 PILATUS PC-12/45 571 PILATUS PC-12/47 201 PIPER MALIBU JETPROP 248 PIPER MERIDIAN 512 SOCATA TBM-700A 107 SOCATA TBM-700B 88 SOCATA TBM-700C1 7 SOCATA TBM-700C2 95 SOCATA TBM-850 323 STARSHIP 2000A 5 TURBO COMMANDER 1000 99 TURBO COMMANDER 690 45 TURBO COMMANDER 690A 177 TURBO COMMANDER 690B 187 TURBO COMMANDER 840 103 TURBO COMMANDER 900 34 TURBO COMMANDER 980 70 Total TurboProp 14.113 Grand Total 33.531 © AVDATA/JETNET

5 2 1 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 3 0 3 0 2 67 51 27 67 77 32 15 3 10 39 1 1 2 11 5 6 1 3 1.286 4.016

2013 FLEET REPORT

BARTÂ’S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

EUROPE

NORTH AMERICA

Country Total Executive* Jet Turb.

Austria 259 1 229 29 Belarus 2 0 2 0 Belgium 97 0 56 41 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 0 3 0 Bulgaria 24 1 17 6 Croatia 10 0 5 5 Cyprus 17 0 14 3 Czech Republic 72 0 42 30 Denmark 73 0 52 21 Estonia 18 0 11 7 Finland 50 0 34 16 France 413 6 216 191 Germany 681 9 437 235 Gibraltar 3 0 2 1 Greece 49 2 29 18 Hungary 10 0 7 3 Iceland 7 0 0 7 Ireland 26 1 16 9 Isle of Man 51 1 33 17 Italy 213 0 138 75 Latvia 10 0 8 2 Liechtenstein 3 0 1 2 Lithuania 6 0 6 0 Luxembourg 96 1 56 39 Macedonia 2 0 2 0 Malta 47 1 42 4 Moldova 1 0 1 0 Monaco 1 0 1 0 Montenegro 3 0 3 0 Netherlands 82 3 44 35 Norway 41 0 14 27 Poland 40 0 18 22 Portugal 153 0 149 4 Romania 18 1 12 5 Russian Federation 182 5 127 50 San Marino 6 0 4 2 Scotland 1 0 0 1 Serbia 23 0 18 5 Slovak Republic 16 0 14 2 Slovenia 10 0 9 1 Spain 173 4 127 42 Sweden 94 0 53 41 Switzerland 298 5 199 94 Ukraine 44 1 36 7 United Kingdom 588 14 387 187 Total 4016 56 2674 1286 *Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA

GROWTH

This year North America, South America and Australia all experienced significant fleet growth.

Country Australia Fiji French Polynesia Guam New Caledonia New Zealand Norfolk Island Papua New Guinea Tahiti Vanuatu Total

Total Executive* 571 2 3 0 5 0 2 0 7 0 56 1 1 0 22 0 2 0 2 0 671 3

Jet 187 0 0 0 1 10 0 3 0 0 201

Turb.

382 3 5 2 6 45 1 19 2 2 467

*Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

Country Total Antigua and Barbuda 1 Aruba 6 Bahamas 25 Barbados 8 Belize 19 Bermuda 33 Canada 1306 Cayman Islands 24 Costa Rica 27 Dominica 1 Dominican Republic 48 El Salvador 5 Greenland 1 Guadeloupe 5 Guatemala 86 Haiti 10 Honduras 25 Jamaica 8 Mexico 1213 Netherlands Antilles 5 Nicaragua 7 Panama 114 Puerto Rico 43 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 Saint Vincent-Grenadines 5 Trinidad and Tobago 3 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 United States 18756 Virgin Islands (British) 25 Virgin Islands (U.S.) 17 West Indies 4 Total 21835

Executive* Jet 0 0 0 6 1 11 0 8 0 0 1 32 9 497 1 19 0 9 1 0 0 24 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 29 2 1 0 8 0 6 9 820 0 3 0 0 2 39 0 20 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 2 95 11489 1 17 0 10 0 4 123 13062

Turb.

1 0 13 0 19 0 800 4 18 0 24 2 1 5 57 7 17 2 384 2 7 73 23 0 1 2 2 7172 7 7 0 8650

*Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

SOUTH AMERICA Country Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Total

Total Executive* Jet 323 1 162 27 0 8 1564 2 786 103 3 32 317 0 36 35 0 14 15 0 0 54 1 9 48 1 9 7 0 0 11 0 4 684 1 274 3188 9 1334

Turb.

160 19 776 68 281 21 15 44 38 7 7 409 1845

*Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

Analyst Brian Foley adds that China is on its way to becoming a mature Business Aviation market, while noting that the challenges remain significant. “Imagine if there was a 22% tariff on imported cars, drivers had to ask permission to drive 2 days in advance and could only drive to specified cities via a sub-optimal route with few services. Driving to a city not on the approved list would require a “navigator” to ride along. It’s safe to say you wouldn’t sell many cars, but that’s exactly how the aircraft operational environment is in China today, which isn’t great for selling planes either.”

AFRICA

Country Total Executive* Jet Turb.

Algeria 40 1 9 30 Angola 67 7 23 37 Benin 0 0 0 0 Botswana 39 0 6 33 Burkina Faso 7 1 1 5 Cameroon 7 1 2 4 Central African Republic 3 0 0 3 Chad 8 1 2 5 Comoros 1 0 0 1 Congo 7 0 3 4 Cote d''Ivoire 5 0 2 3 Dem. Republic of Congo 29 5 13 11 Djibouti 1 1 0 0 Egypt 47 4 38 5 Equatorial Guinea 7 1 5 1 Eritrea 2 0 1 1 Ethiopia 7 0 0 7 Gabon 13 1 8 4 Gambia 3 2 1 0 Ghana 9 0 4 5 Guinea 2 0 0 2 Guinea-Bissau 1 0 0 1 Kenya 118 2 8 108 Liberia 3 0 0 3 Libya 17 2 10 5 Madagascar 16 0 4 12 Malawi 2 0 0 2 Mali Republic 4 1 0 3 Mauritania 4 1 0 3 Mauritius 8 0 4 4 Morocco 44 1 24 19 Mozambique 5 0 2 3 Namibia 33 0 11 22 Niger 3 0 0 3 Nigeria 91 2 80 9 Sao Tome and Principe 2 1 1 0 Senegal 12 1 3 8 Seychelles Islands 3 0 3 0 Sierra Leone 1 0 0 1 South Africa 462 4 171 287 Sudan 8 0 4 4 Swaziland 3 2 1 0 Tanzania 74 0 2 72 Togo 8 1 3 4 Tunisia 4 0 4 0 Uganda 19 0 1 18 Zambia 28 0 1 27 Zimbabwe 11 0 2 9 Total 1288 43 457 788 *Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

ASIA

Country Total Executive* Jet Turb.

Afghanistan 28 0 0 28 Armenia 3 0 1 2 Azerbaijan 7 0 7 0 Bahrain 16 4 9 3 Bangladesh 8 0 2 6 Brunei 3 3 0 0 Burma 1 0 1 0 Cambodia 1 0 1 0 China 292 3 226 63 Georgia 2 0 2 0 Hong Kong 108 0 100 8 India 267 4 170 93 Indonesia 127 4 38 85 Iran 43 4 21 18 Iraq 8 0 0 8 Israel 78 14 30 34 Japan 224 3 78 143 Jordan 27 2 18 7 Kazakhstan 31 1 23 7 Kuwait 23 5 17 1 Kyrgyzstan 2 0 0 2 Laos 2 0 0 2 Lebanon 24 1 20 3 Macau 8 1 7 0 Malaysia 79 3 43 33 Mongolia 3 0 0 3 Myanmar 2 0 0 2 Nepal 12 0 0 12 Oman 12 3 9 0 Pakistan 42 1 27 14 Philippines 79 2 38 39 Qatar 26 5 20 1 Saudi Arabia 166 27 119 20 Singapore 48 2 41 5 South Korea 41 1 28 12 Sri Lanka 6 0 0 6 Syria 2 0 2 0 Taiwan 17 1 11 5 Thailand 75 6 28 41 Turkey 142 1 111 30 Turkmenistan 3 0 3 0 United Arab Emirates 130 8 92 30 Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 Vietnam 2 0 0 2 Yemen 5 3 0 2 Total 2226 113 1343 770 *Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to private business use, excluding models originally meant for business use.

Finally Africa also saw significant fleet growth this year, with its fleet growing from 1,213 aircraft in 2011 to 1288 Aircraft last year. Standout performers include Kenya with growth of 11.3%, Nigeria with growth of 16.6% and Tanzania with growth of 10.44%.

Here Olver notes that the African market will continue to grow, with countries like Nigeria and Kenya showing significant potential. “But it is still difficult to expand your business, in particular it’s difficult to find qualified staff there, and it’s hard to convince people who have the right skills to move settle there, because life isn’t always comfortable in Africa.”

EMERGING

Africa and Asia boasted impressive numbers and hold much potential for future expansion.

2013 FLEET REPORT Makes and Models Once again all of the manufacturers should be happy with the growth they experienced last year. For instance Cessna’s fleet grew significantly from 6,675 last year to 8,420 units, and with Cessna’s parent Textron acquiring Beechcraft before year-end 2013, we should eventually be able to speak about a combined Cessna/Beechcraft fleet of 17,218 aircraft.

Cessna’s Caravan 208 is still the most popular turboprop on the market with 1,606 units in the worldwide fleet; up from 1,568 last year. As far as jets are concerned the Cessna Sovereign stands out as a popular choice with 345 aircraft in the worldwide fleet up from 33 units last year.

Bombardier made a strong showing this year and now boasts 4,185 units in the worldwide fleet, up from 3,420 units last year. Unsurprisingly its large, long range jets are proving more popular than ever, such as the Global 5,000, which now stand at 139 units up from 121 units last year.

Another company profiting from the demand for large long range jets is

OEMs

All Business Aviation manufacturers had successful years in 2013.

Gulfstream with a fleet standing at 2,183 units, up from 2,071 units the previous year. Once again the G450 was popular growing from 242 units to 470 units, similarly the G550 grew from 372 units to 420 units.

Then there’s the G650, which boasts 49 aircraft in the worldwide fleet, just one year after its entry into service.

34 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

12 MONTH WORLD WIDE TURBINE FLEET Worldwide United States Asia North America Africa Europe South America

2012 33020 18,287 2025 21185 1213 4073 2967

As Scott Neal Scott Neal, senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream, points out.

“Within hours of its announcement, we had secured 200 orders for the aircraft,” said. “The feedback we continually receive from customers is that the G650 has exceeded their wildest expectations.”

2013 33950 18,756 2226 21835 1288 4016 3188

Unit Change 930 469 201 650 75 -57 221

Growth 2.7% 2.5% 9% 2.9% 5.8% -1.3% 7.1%

Dassault was another strong performer in 2012 with 2038 aircraft in the worldwide fleet up from 1990 in the previous year. Here once again the 7X continues to be popular with 197 units in the worldwide fleet up from 161 last year.

Finally there’s Embraer, which continues to go from strength to strength.

It now has 695 aircraft in the worldwide fleet up from 573 units in the previous year. Here once again the Phenom is doing well growing from 243 units in 2013 to 289 units this year.

The Cessna Citation II is still the most popular aircraft in the worldwide jet fleet standing at an impressive 565 units, meanwhile the Learjet 35A stands at 442 units with the Citation Mustang coming in at third place with 439 units.

Then in turboprops following the Cessna Caravan 208B the King Air B200 remains the second most popular aircraft on the worldwide fleet, with 1,606 units in the worldwide fleet: this is followed by the King Air 350 with 714 units in the worldwide fleet.

✈

[ resolve ]

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2013 FLEET REPORT

BARTÂ’S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

CONFIDENCE SLOWLY RETURNS TO THE INDUSTRY

MODEST

Industry forecasters see deliveries growing modestly over the next two years.

Gone are the days when companies would jealously guard their market forecasts, fearing that theyÂ’d lose their competitive edge by sharing market insights with others.

Now the trend is going the other way with companies releasing vast swathes of information to the public and making life easier for journalists as a result. So this year in putting together our fleet forecast we can work with a wealth of information, with heavyweights like Honeywell and Bombardier and lesser known names like Zenith Jet and the Foley Group all contributing their expert findings.

36 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

L

ooking for common themes among the different forecasters, it quickly becomes clear that the large jet segment is already strong and looks set to continue growing. For all other segments, growth will be steady with a pick-up expected from two years and onwards.

We start out with Honeywell’s Business Aviation Forecast, which forecasts up to 9,250 new business jet deliveries worth over $250 billion from 2013 to 2022.

The good news is that in terms of delivery values this is 3 to 4 percent increase when compared with Honeywell’s 2012 forecast.

“2014 industry deliveries are anticipated to be up modestly, reflecting recovery in supply- side constraints and some gains linked to the projected pace of global economic recovery,” says Rob Wilson, president, Honeywell Business and General Aviation.

INDUSTRY DELIVERIES BY REGION 2013-2022 vs. 2023-2032 North America 2013-2022: 4,100 2023-2032: 5,390

Europe 2013-2022: 1,670 2023-2032: 2,230 Africa 2013-2022: 320 2023-2032: 480

Latin America 2013-2022: 1,000 2023-2032: 1,300

Source: Bombardier forecast

CIS 2013-2022: 550 2023-2032: 1,020 Middle - East 2013-2022: 420 2023-2032: 780

Greater China 2013-2022: 1,000 2023-2032: 1,420

India 2013-2022: 380 2023-2032: 960

SPACE

Asia Pacific 2013-2022: 360 2023-2032: 620

The trend towards large cabin aircraft continues says Rob Wilson, President, Honeywell Business and General Aviation.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 37

2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

Survey Findings

FORESEE

Bombardier predicts 5,500 deliveries of large cabin aircraft over the next two decades.

Honeywell’s survey asks operators about their plans to either replace or add to their fleet and what we see is that over the next five years operators plan to make new jet purchases that equate to about 28 percent of their current fleet value. Of those new business jet purchase plans, 19 percent are intended to occur by 2014, with larger shares of more than 22 percent each year scheduled for 2015 and 2016 purchases.

Once again we see that purchase expectations will focus on larger cabin aircraft classes ranging from super midsize through the ultra long range and business liner, making it reasonable to assume these types of aircraft will command the bulk of the value billed from now until 2023. Indeed in the near term, the large cabin group is expected to account for more than 80 percent of all expenditures on new business jets. Volume growth between now and 2023 will be led by this class of aircraft, reflecting nearly 60 percent of additional units, and nearly 85 percent of additional retail value.

“The trend toward larger cabin aircraft with ever-increasing range expectations and advanced avionics is seen more strongly than ever in this year’s survey,” says Wilson. “As a full- spectrum supplier to the industry, Honeywell has been successful in anticipating the needs of and advancing the technological capabilities of the popular super-midsize and larger aircraft in production or scheduled to enter service over the next few years.”

In their Business Aviation Market Forecast Bombardier predicts 24,000 business jet deliveries from 2013 to 2032 valued at $650 billion, with the main message being that momentum is finally beginning to emerge in the Business Aviation market, with operators focusing more on fleet optimization and aircraft efficiency, than ever before.

They also single out the large aircraft segment as the one that will witness the fastest growth of all segments. As Bombardier report points out: “During the 20-year period from 2013 to 2032, we anticipate the Large category to generate a total of 5,500 deliveries, valued at $293B, representing approximately 45% of total delivery rev-

38 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

enues. witness the fastest growth. This category was less affected by the downturn than the Medium and Light categories. Large category pre-owned inventory accounts for 9.8% of the fleet and is the healthiest among aircraft size categories.”

Forecasts by Region Breaking Honeywell’s and Bombardier’s reports down by region we see that emerging markets generally show higher, but historically more volatile, levels of demand and a more pronounced preference for larger aircraft. Honeywell’s report in particular notes that as traditional regional markets have coped with economic variability and political uncertainties, key emerging markets have been shaping recent industry growth, backlog and portfolio composition.

The other piece of good news from Honeywell’s report is that the overall

level of forecast aircraft demand coming from inside North America has increased for the first time in recent history. This year, roughly 61 percent of projected demand comes from North American operators, up eight points from the 2012 survey. “Stronger new aircraft acquisition plans in North America are welcome news and should support industry momentum as some of the higher growth regions work through a year of modestly reduced growth rates,” Wilson says.

Moving on to the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in 2011, there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful with 42 percent planning to aquire new aircraft. Although last year about 40 percent of BRIC purchases were planned to happen within two years, this year 50 percent of intended purchasing activity is planned in the next two-year time frame.

Meanwhile in the Asia Pacific region, many of the industry’s major players have high expectations for long-term future growth, reporting new jet acquisition plans equivalent to 24 percent of their fleet. Overall the total share of global demand over the next five years for Asia Pacific is about 5 percent, off two points from 2012 levels.

Fleets in this region have been growing at double-digit rates throughout the past five years. This year, just fewer than 20 percent of respondents plan new purchases within the first year of the five-year horizon.

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2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

Middle East and Africa According to Honeywell in the Middle East and Africa, 26 percent of respondents expect to purchase a new jet, down from 32 percent last year.

And despite the continued turbulence in the region, operators indicate their purchases may happen sooner in the next five-year window than expected last year, with about 47 percent of purchases planned before 2016.

Meanwhile Bombardier notes that the business jet fleet per population of 100 million is expected to grow from 158 to 407 over the next 20 years. The Middle East will receive up to 1,200 business jet deliveries during the 20132032 period, 420 deliveries between 2013 and 2022, and 780 from 2023 to 2032. The 2012 fleet of 400 business jets will grow to 1,420 aircraft by 2032, representing a CAGR of approximately 7%.

Latin America Latin America’s Honeywell survey results indicate 39 percent of the sample fleet will be replaced or added to with new jet purchases, which is unchanged versus last year’s result.

Furthermore, planned acquisitions remain more front-loaded than the world average, with almost 52 percent of this region’s projected purchases timed to happen within the next threeyear period. As with the Asia Pacific market, backfilling appears to have eased, albeit to a lesser extent. As a result of the high purchase plan levels,

REPLACEMENTS

39 percent of Latin America s fleet will be replaced over the next five years.

40 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

Latin America’s share of total projected demand held steady compared with a year ago at 18 percent.

For their part Bombardier states that Latin America is expected to be one of the most important business jet markets, which will see 1,000 aircraft deliveries between 2013 and 2022 and 1,300 deliveries from 2023 to 2032.

The fleet of 1,675 business jets at the end of 2012 will increase to 3,085 aircraft by the end of 2032, equivalent to a CAGR of 3%.

North America In spite of the continued growth in emerging market North America remains the industry’s mainstay market, and Honeywell’s survey shows that new jet purchase plan levels improve — about three points — to the world average of 28 percent after averaging near 25 percent for the past six years. And although buying plan levels might be moderate when compared with emerging markets, North America represents more than half of projected global demand for the next five years based on the region’s historically dominant installed business jet base, affirming the region’s indisputable importance to the industry’s future.

Meanwhile according to Bombardier, fleet per multiple of 100 million inhabitants in North America is expected to grow moderately from 3,417 aircraft to 4,150 over the next 20 years. North America is forecasted to receive the greatest number of new business jet

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2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

deliveries between 2013 and 2032 with 9,490 aircraft; 4,100 aircraft between 2013 and 2022 and 5,390 from 2023 to 2032. The 2012 fleet of 9,600 business jets will grow to 13,640 aircraft by 2032, representing a CAGR of approximately 2%.

Europe Europe’s purchase expectations declined this year, to 25 percent, with the European share of estimated global five-year demand falling by six points to 12 percent in the 2013 survey.

“We continue to see underlying macro trends that support potential demand for business jets, making the industry’s long-term prospects attractive,” Wilson said. “Other factors we

ESTABLISHED

Europe will remain the second largest market for Business Aviation for the foreseeable future, says Bombardier.

42 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

believe will help accelerate global business aviation growth are long overdue structural and regulatory reforms, which have the potential to unlock significant spending power that would propel aviation expansion.

Product innovation in the form of Honeywell’s Ka-band satellite communication technology solutions and our SmartView Synthetic Vision System upgrades supports the expanded use of business aircraft as a key tool in the global economy.”

Bombardier’s report states that the growing business jet installed base in Europe will create a signifi cant replacement market. Bombardier’s forecast for business jet penetration predicts that fleet per population of 100 million will grow from 399 to 1,099

over the next 20 years, equivalent to 3,900 aircraft deliveries.

Europe will remain the second largest market of business jets with 1,670 aircraft deliveries between 2013 and 2022 and 2,230 deliveries between 2023 and 2032. The fleet will increase at a CAGR of 6% from 1,500 aircraft in 2012 to 4,740 aircraft by the end of 2032.

Flight Activity Looking to flight activity Honeywell’s forecast shows that the recovery has been mixed over the past year and that much of the ground lost by operations during the 2009 recession still remains to be recaptured. However the forecast notes that modest improvements in international flight activity and in U.S. operations in general have been seen in recent months.

Honeywell’s forecast also notes that the number of pre-owned jets for sale today has risen slightly from a year ago. Approximately 12.5 percent of today’s fleet is up for resale, down from a high of nearly 16 percent reached in 2009. Current levels are almost normal in light of the past decade’s history, but more reduction has been elusive recently despite declines in used aircraft asking prices.

Younger inventory (10 or fewer years old) usually makes up less than 20 percent of what is for sale, but this year its ranks still hovered around a quarter of all listings. This is down from record averages of about 30 percent reached in 2009.

Meanwhile the prospects for improved levels of flying activity in the near future are modest. Honeywell

FLIGHTS

Flight activity in the US improved slightly last year.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 43

2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS Fractional Activity Another point is that flight activity for charter-like operations and fractional ownership appears to be doing well in the U.S. but not translating into many new aircraft deliveries.

Fractional operators have taken only 20 new jets this year. NetJet’s large order of 225 aircraft from Bombardier and Cessna last year boosted backlog figures, and additional orders r should impact delivery performance favorably.

Finally Zenith Jet’s market forecast notes that the elements of a sustained recovery are in place, predicting that narrowbody demand will rebound.

However Zenith Jet adds that it will

expects U.S. business jet cycles to close this year with a small expansion of about 1 to 2 percent, mostly attributed to international flight growth and by relatively strong charter operations.

Next year should bring growth in the low single digits, presaging a slow, multiyear path back to historical normalcy.

© Bombardier

DEMAND

Widebody demand is stronger than ever says Zenith Jet, while Narrowbodies are still sluggish.

44 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

not revert to the heady pre-recession levels of the last business cycle.

“The reason is simple: a significant portion of that narrowbody base was new to Business Aviation and the recession had a profound effect in shaking their appetite for ownership.

However, according to Zenith Jet, you find an entirely different scenario when it comes to widebody demand.

Indeed the Ultra Long Range segment is the only category in this year’s forecast (compared to last year’s edition) that actually grew in terms of unit deliveries and revenues over the forecast period i.e. 9% increase from 1,450 units to 1,577 amounting to over $95 billion dollars in billings.”

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2013 FLEET REPORT

CHARTER MARKET

A BUMPY YEAR FOR CHARTER T

he global market for travel benefitted from gradually recovering economic activity in 2013.

The airline industry in particular had a good year in 2013, its best since 2010. But for Business Aviation, the once-reliable correlation with GDP did not hold up. A year ago, with the economy turning, the industry expected green shoots in business jet deliveries and activity. Twelve months on, global deliveries fell to their lowest levels since 2005 and flight activity stagnated in mature markets.

There are numerous factors to explain this apparent decoupling of economic revitalisation and Business Aviation malaise but in simple terms it comes down to uncertainty. The principal users of Business Aviation are corporations, and although their profitability has long since recovered from the recession, their investment in capital assets including aircraft has tarried because the economic climate is still so uncertain.

When it comes to business jets specifically, the would-be buyer’s uncertainty is also coloured by the still-resonant public stigma of associated excess consumption. This hesitance towards purchasing an aircraft is obvious in the precipitous recent decline of the major light jet manufacturers preferred by business users, Hawker Beechcraft and Cessna. The former has gone to the wall, the latter is 50% off its 2008 delivery performance and a world away from its billion dollar profit of 2008.

The aversion to ownership has also reverberated to fractional aircraft schemes. Before the recession the fractional operators were delivering 10 aircraft a month, but in all of 2013 there were only 17 equivalent whole aircraft delivered to this fleet, which has declined by more than 20% since 2008. The effect is clear in activity analysis. In 2013, fractional flights in the US fell another 9% on a declining 2012.

However, one good indicator for the industry is that overall flight activity in the US market marginally increased in 2013, seemingly encouraged by the

Dow Jones surge in the 2nd half of the year. As we fractional activity was well down, and private flight activity also fell for the year, the uplift was evidently due to charter flights, which increased by a conspicuous 12% on 2012as shown in Chart 1 below.

boprop operator Avantair with the arrival of Wheels Up, which made an order for 105 King Air 350s in August to implement build a nationwide charter operation over the next 3 years.

Not that there was homogenous growth in charter flying across the

Logic suggests that this surge in charter is indicative of business customers’ preference for no-ties, pay-asyou-go usage. Compare the struggling fractional operators with the likes of leading US charter operator XO Jet, which just announced 300% increase in profitability on the back of 15% increase in overall activity in 2013.

Contrast the demise of fractional tur-

US fleet in 2013; customer preferences clearly varied by aircraft size and range. As shown in Chart 2, the Very Light, Super Mid and Ultra Long Range jet segments benefited most from the shift to charter. By contrast, the populous Midsize, Super Light and Light jet fleets saw declining demand for charter in 2013.

INSECURE

Continued uncertainty means that the charter market is slow to recover.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 45

2013 FLEET REPORT The evident success of the Very Light jet in stimulating charter flights – this segment was up 38,7% [Charter] on 2012 activity – is testament to the popularity of the Citation Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100. It also points to the success of the air taxi model, as implemented by operators such as JetSuite. The California-based charter operator, which aspires to be the Southwest Airlines of Business Aviation, is adding 10 CJ3 light jets to its so-far exclusive fleet of Phenoms.

JetSuite is also developing an array of collaborative alliances with other operators, including airlines (with Singapore), large jet operators with global coverage (VistaJet) and entrylevel turboprop operations (Wheels Up). JetSuite’s plans reflect a broader consolidation of the world’s largest Business Aviation market. There is still some way to go; more than 70% of the jets in the US are operated in fleets of 3 or fewer aircraft. As shown in Chart 3, the evidence suggests a direct correlation between small fleets and inefficient utilisation.

There is also an obvious need for similar operator consolidation in Europe. Some is happening – the merger of Luxaviation, Unijet and Abelag this January has created Europe’s 3rd largest operator. But the scale is still small – the new group would rank in the top 20 in terms of fleet size in the US. And the prevailing fragmentation of Europe’s operators is certainly a factor in the contrastingly poor performance of charter in 2013; 2,0% down on 2012.In fact, as shown by Chart 4, charter flight

CONSOLIDATION

There is still need room for mergers and acquisitions in European Business Aviation.

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CHARTER MARKET activity held up better than private in 2013 in Europe. The general economy is no doubt a factor; whereas a moderate US recovery is well established, Eurozone GDP was stagnant through most of 2013. A fifth year of on-off recession has significantly shrunk the entry-level Business Aviation user market, so buoyant before 2009. This showed up in the significant falls in charter activity on almost all segments from Business TurboProp to Midsize Jet, as shown in Chart 5 below.

The one exception within this fleet was the Very Light jet. The VLJ’s big success has been in migrating users from the ageing light jet segments. In Europe the Mustang has been more successful than the Phenom within this segment; flight activity for 2013 was respectively [-15%, Phenom] and +8 Mustang %. There are now 104

Mustangs installed in the European fleet, the majority managed within dedicated air-taxi fleets such as GlobeAir and Blink.

The grinding economic recession in Europe left one constituency untouched; the so-called ultra-highnet-worth individuals (UNHWI), those with net worth exceeding $30m, have increased in number and wealth throughout the last 5 years. Their demand for Business Aviation stimulated the impressive +12,8% growth in activity on ULR jets in 2013. The main

beneficiaries were operators with Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault fleets; these OEM fleets gained respectively 6,4%,17,6% and 15,3% in the ULR segment in 2013 .

The ULR charter activity is even more impressive when specific aircraft models are profiled, as shown in Chart 6

The Bombardier Global Express gained 48,3% charter hours in 2013, the Global 5000 17,6%,and the Falcon 7X 17,0%. The Gulfstream 500 series maintained solid charter demand, and the Gulfstream 650, for which deliveries in 2013 jumped from 6 to 42, will undoubtedly reinforce charter demand

for ULR jets in Europe as it comes on stream.

Europe’s anaemic economic recovery makes it likely that the hybrid impression of charter growth in the ULR niche and recession across almost all of the ‘workhorse’ fleet will continue. Despite the attentions of

new light jets such as the M2, Europe’s ‘mass market’ user will remain very cautious over Business Aviation in the near future. To accelerate the slow road to recovery, Europe’s operators could do worse than take a cue from the US market, where a raft of mergers and new products seems to be galvanising the return of the charter customer.

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BOOMING

Charter activity in the Ultra Long Range segment grew significantly last year.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 47

2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

GOOD NEWS FROM THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY

This year the news from the helicopter industry is resoundingly positive markets are expanding, missions are multiplying and operators are in the mood to buy.

T RULING

Multi-engine Helicopters like this Eurocopter EC-135 continue to dominate in the US.

o take just one example Honeywell, in its 15th TurbinePowered Civil Helicopter Purchase Outlook report, expects that global deliveries of new civilian-use helicopters will increase to between 4,900 to 5,600 over the five-year period 2013–2017, with the forecast showing improved purchase plans for new helicopters in every region of the world.

It’s a “shot in the arm” says Brain Sill vice president, Honeywell Aftermarket Helicopter Sales. “Supporting the growth numbers is the fact that helicopter usage for corporate, oil and gas, utility, and training missions is improving, which shows that helicopters are value-add aircraft in today’s business environment.”

48 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

In North American buying plans increased for the first time in half a decade, and Latin America posted the highest regional level of five-year fleet replacement and expansion at 34 percent.

And based on its detailed survey results, delivery rates of new helicopters over the next three years are expected to reach 1,000 new units each year. Purchase plans for new helicopters for this three-year time frame are 35 percent higher than last year’s survey. The latter part of the five-year outlook is also expected to fill in and achieve similar delivery rates if economic recovery trends are sustained.

Honeywell also saw that aircraft age and condition, contractual requirements, change in operational requirements, expiring warranties are all driving operators to consider buying new aircraft.

The five-year share of demand from the United States and Canada is 27 percent, and combined the Western

Hemisphere represents 47 percent of total global demand. Europe’s share of five-year demand closely matches that of North America with 28 percent.

Demand in Asia/Oceania accounts for 19 percent over the next five years, and the Africa/Middle East share should tally a little over 6 percent.

Higher purchase plans compared to last year were found across the board in all regions. Purchase plans in major U.S and European centers of demand rose this year by 3 and 7 points, respectively. All other regions also improved moderately compared with 2012, and their purchase plans remain above the world average rate. Specific purchase plans just for 2013 remain strong and improved over levels reported in the 2012 survey. The expectation for new aircraft orders in 2013 is up over 30 percent compared with 2012 levels, suggesting the recovery will maintain momentum this year.

Global five-year demand for new turbine-powered helicopters is split almost 50-50 between the Americas

HELICOPTER SUMMARY BY MODEL PISTON MFG/MODEL ENSTROM 280 SHARK ENSTROM 280C SHARK ENSTROM 280F SHARK ENSTROM 280FX SHARK ENSTROM F-28 ENSTROM F-28A ENSTROM F-28C ENSTROM F-28C-2 ENSTROM F28F FALCON ROBINSON R22 ROBINSON R22 ALPHA ROBINSON R22 BETA ROBINSON R22 BETA II ROBINSON R22 HP ROBINSON R22 MARINER ROBINSON R22 MARINER II ROBINSON R44 ASTRO ROBINSON R44 RAVEN I ROBINSON R44 RAVEN II SCHWEIZER 300CB SCHWEIZER S-300C SCHWEIZER S-300CBI Total Piston PISTON MFG/MODEL AGUSTA/WESTLAND A119 KE AGUSTA/WESTLAND A119 KOALA BELL 204B BELL 205A-1 BELL 206A JETRANGER BELL 206B JETRANGER II BELL 206B-3 JETRANGER III BELL 206L LONGRANGER BELL 206L-1 LONGRANGER II BELL 206L-3 LONGRANGER BELL 206L-4 LONGRANGER IV BELL 210 BELL 214B BIGLIFTER BELL 407 BELL 407GX BELL/AGUSTA AB-206A JETRANGER BELL/AGUSTA AB-206B JETRANGER II BELL/AGUSTA AB-206B-3 JETRANGER ENSTROM 480 ENSTROM 480B EUROCOPTER AS-350B ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350B-1 ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350B-2 ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350B-3 ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350B-3E ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350BA ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER AS-350D ASTAR EUROCOPTER EC-120B COLIBRI EUROCOPTER EC-130B-4 ECUREUIL EUROCOPTER EC-130T2 EUROCOPTER SA-315B LAMA EUROCOPTER SA-316B ALOUETTE III EUROCOPTER SA-318C ALOUETTE II EUROCOPTER SA-319B ALOUETTE III MD MD 500E MD MD 520N MD MD 530F MD MD 600N ROBINSON R66 SCHWEIZER 330 SCHWEIZER S-333 Total Single Turbine PISTON MFG/MODEL AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109A AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109A MK II AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109C AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109E POWER AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109K2

TOTAL 7 123 15 104 3 111 68 31 99 71 61 1131 1567 71 113 41 559 1236 3058 91 486 196 9.242 TOTAL 93 88 30 132 59 969 1.922 98 416 486 396 3 30 1.062 124 25 81 76 31 112 311 52 1.188 1.038 251 506 60 618 425 20 205 133 75 28 355 96 115 65 342 14 51 12.181 TOTAL 59 93 65 373 29

EUROPE 1 31 1 26 0 22 9 1 8 14 4 321 317 6 22 15 130 320 727 21 180 36 2.212 EUROPE 27 17 1 11 3 62 198 9 23 24 6 0 2 67 7 12 60 65 14 14 59 23 155 319 87 125 6 297 62 0 103 54 38 9 67 12 2 8 19 4 12 2.083 EUROPE 26 52 18 110 16

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2013

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109S GRAND 176 AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109SP GRANDNEW 92 AGUSTA/WESTLAND AW139 554 BELL 206LT TWINRANGER 4 BELL 212 475 BELL 214ST 30 BELL 222A 38 BELL 222B 17 BELL 222SP 7 BELL 222UT 50 BELL 230 36 BELL 412 114 BELL 412EP 499 BELL 412HP 67 BELL 412SP 32 BELL 427 79 BELL 429 GLOBALRANGER 117 BELL 430 118 BELL/AGUSTA AB-412 28 BELL/AGUSTA AB-412EP 17 BELL/AGUSTA AB-412HP 4 BELL/AGUSTA AB-412SP 22 EUROCOPTER AS-332L SUPER PUMA 63 EUROCOPTER AS-332L1 SUPER PUMA 68 EUROCOPTER AS-332L1E SUPER PUMA 1 EUROCOPTER AS-332L2 SUPER PUMA 46 EUROCOPTER AS-355E ECUREUIL II 2 EUROCOPTER AS-355F ECUREUIL II 127 EUROCOPTER AS-355F-1 ECUREUIL 63 EUROCOPTER AS-355F-2 ECUREUIL 159 EUROCOPTER AS-355N ECUREUIL II 154 EUROCOPTER AS-355NP ECUREUIL II 51 EUROCOPTER AS-365C DAUPHIN 2 47 EUROCOPTER AS-365N DAUPHIN 2 101 EUROCOPTER AS-365N-1 DAUPHIN 2 35 EUROCOPTER AS-365N-2 DAUPHIN 2 124 EUROCOPTER AS-365N-3 DAUPHIN 2 179 EUROCOPTER AS-365N-3E DAUPHIN 2 1 EUROCOPTER BK-117A-1 63 EUROCOPTER BK-117B-1 62 EUROCOPTER BK-117B-2 57 EUROCOPTER BK-117C-1 52 EUROCOPTER EC-135P1 46 EUROCOPTER EC-135P2 153 EUROCOPTER EC-135P2I 349 EUROCOPTER EC-135T1 88 EUROCOPTER EC-135T2 148 EUROCOPTER EC-135T2e 1 EUROCOPTER EC-135T2I 200 EUROCOPTER EC-145 604 EUROCOPTER EC-145T2 1 EUROCOPTER EC-155B 30 EUROCOPTER EC-155B1 119 EUROCOPTER EC-225LP SUPER PUMA 121 EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117A-1 11 EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117B 85 EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117C-1 9 MD MD EXPLORER 111 SIKORSKY S-76A 122 SIKORSKY S-76A+ 37 SIKORSKY S-76A++ 37 SIKORSKY S-76B 79 SIKORSKY S-76C 28 SIKORSKY S-76C+ 147 SIKORSKY S-76C++ 211 SIKORSKY S-76D 29 SIKORSKY S-92A 212 Total Multi Turbine 7.628 Grand Total 29.051 © AVDATA/JETNET

65 38 144 2 50 0 6 4 2 3 6 23 33 15 2 12 12 12 26 17 3 16 21 30 0 25 0 51 25 51 79 31 23 34 11 29 65 0 0 21 21 27 15 60 143 52 105 1 110 111 0 19 42 48 0 1 0 57 5 2 5 17 5 12 21 4 68 2.160 6.455

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 49

2013 FLEET REPORT rest of the world. Latin America and Asia continue to have the highest fleet replacement and expansion expectations among the regions. In terms of projected regional demand for new helicopters, Latin America and Asia remain in close competition to claim the world’s third largest regional market, following North America and Europe.

“Honeywell is well positioned to support the growth the industry expects during the next five years,” says Sill.

“Honeywell’s propulsion, safety, mapping and communications technologies and services help helicopter operators control their costs and enhance efficiency and safety.”

World Area Africa Asia Central America Europe North America Oceania South America Unknown Total

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS

TOP TEN FLEETS

BY COUNTRY United States

8551

Canada

2272

Australia

1757

Brazil

1756

United Kingdom

1088

France

850

South Africa

843

japan

721

Italy

720

Germany

704

PISTON VERSUS TURBINES Pistons 540 485 257 2.212 3.766 1.401 838 0 9.242

Single 537 977 603 2.083 6.127 826 1.264 365 12.181

Multi 341 1.573 245 2.160 2.265 319 761 204 7.628

Total 1.418 3.035 1.105 6.455 12.158 2.546 2.863 569 29.051

comes in at second place with 2,272 aircraft up from 2,196. These are followed by Brazil with 1,756 aircraft and the United Kingdom with 1,088 aircraft. Other countries worth noting are France (850), South Africa (843), Japan (721) Italy, (720) and Mexico with 685.

Manufacturers The positive results in our fleet figures are also reflected in the earnings reports from the various helicopter manufacturers.

In the fourth quarter of 2013 Bell’s Revenues increased $226 million, reflecting delivery of 13 V-22’s, 6 H-1’s and 75 commercial aircraft in the quarter compared to 9 V-22’s, 6 H-1’s and 65 commercial units in last year’s fourth quarter.

Segment profit was up $1 million from the fourth quarter of 2012 as the impact of higher volumes was largely offset by lower military margins and manufacturing inefficiencies related to prior period labor negotiations and implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system.

“Our turboshaft engines for lightand medium-lift commercial helicopters provide high power, reliability, fuel efficiency and safety for operators at a competitive price. Our safety products, designed to provide a threedimensional sphere of detection ranging from the working components of the helicopter out to more than 40 nautical miles, enable operators to expand the flight operation of their aircraft to meet the growing demands of their businesses.”

EXPECTED

North America remains the market leader with 12,158 helicopters in its fleet.

2013 Fleet Figures Getting into our 2013 fleet figures we see that North America remains the market leader with 12,158 units in the global fleet, up from 11,959 last year.

It’s followed by Europe which has 6455 units in the global fleet, up from 6314 units in the previous year. Asia is in third place with 3,035 units in the global fleet up from 2597 in the previous year and then there’s South America (2,863), Oceania (2,546) and Africa (1,418). As a percentage of overall fleet pistons are most popular in Africa, where 540 are based compared to 537 singles and 341 multis.

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In Asia multi-engines predominate with 1,573 based there compared with 977 singles and 485 pistons, whereas in Europe you get an even spread of everything with 2,212 pistons, 2083 singles and 2,160 multis. Singles however dominate in North America where 6,127 are based and South America where 1,264 are based.

And with growth across the board last year, the top ten fleet leader-board is much the same as the previous year.

The United States leads with a rotorcraft fleet of 8,551 up from 8,151 in the previous year. Like last year Canada

And backlog at the end of the fourth quarter was $6.5 billion, up $47 million from the end of the third quarter 2013.

Bell also got 2014 off to a good start, signing an agreement for the sale of 20 Bell 206L-4s to Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), one of the largest independent providers of helicopter air ambulance services (HAA) in the world. Deliveries are scheduled to begin this year and continue through 2017.

“These new aircraft will serve as replacements for older aircraft in service as well as provide for growth of

Shenzhen, Guandong, China. It is the largest provider of offshore operations in China.

“The offshore oil market in China is growing rapidly, and the S-92 helicopter has proven to be a reliable and safe performer in many locations around the world, including China, where Sikorsky products are now being operated by all three major offshore oil service providers,” said Robert Kokorda, Sikorsky Vice President of Sales & Marketing.

“COHC is one of the newest customers for Sikorsky Aircraft, but we the service area,” said Seth Myers, President, Air Evac EMS, Inc., a subsidiary of AMGH. “We appreciate the quality aircraft, service and support Bell Helicopter has provided us over the years and look forward to continuing to offer a variety of Bell products to our customers.”

Air Evac EMS, Inc., which operates Air Evac Lifeteam, is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service in the United States, conducting its operations through 115 mutually-supporting air medical bases across 15 states. The company has established

itself as one of the preeminent providers of air ambulance services to communities in need of advanced emergency health care and rapid medical transport and operates the world’s largest fleet of more than 130 medically-equipped Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopters, along with additional Bell 407 helicopters.

“We have a long, proud history supporting AMGH and are proud to have announced two significant orders with them in the past year” said Danny Maldonado, Bell Helicopter’s executive vice president of Sales and

Marketing. “We put the goals of our customers first in everything we do and are proud to play a role as they continue to provide critical, timely care within every market where they operate.”

Sikorsky also had a strong year and one high-point was the announcement that it had signed a contract with China’s CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC) for two S-92 helicopters to be used for the offshore oil transportation mission.

Established in 1983, COHC is a publicly traded company based in

are focused on providing them with world-class products and support, and are confident that this marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between us.”

Meanwhile Eurocopter further extended its lead in Britain’s private/VIP market and once more confirmed the company’s role as Britain’s civil helicopter hub. Two of the rotorcraft are the AS350 B3e evolved members of Eurocopter’s Ecureuil family, while the third is an EC120 B. “Tailored solutions based on British design, parts manufacturing, integration, flight testing and certification have made us the preferred choice of UK customers in this market segment,” said Markus Steinke, Managing Director of Eurocopter UK Limited. “We are proud to continue the expansion of our unique civil helicopter heritage, skills and customer base, and will continue to extend Britain’s civil helicopter hub even in the future.”

A fleet of 314 turbine helicopters is operated by private and business aviation customers across the UK, which

PERFORMERS

The Eurocopter EC 130 (top), the Eurocopter EC 175 (center) and the Bell 206 L (bottom) all performed well last year.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 51

2013 FLEET REPORT

BART S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS With more and more good news coming from the world of rotorcraft, analysts are starting to point to the unique advantages of the industry.

For instance Brian Foley said recently: “With business jets there are really only two primary buyers; corporations and individuals. Civil rotorcraft share that same customer base, but with the added benefit of other buyer segments such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), police, utility, Search and Rescue (SAR) and offshore oil-and-gas.

In the same fashion, the military market contains broad, multiple segments including scout/attack, naval warfare, squad transport, Combat Search and

PROMISE

Medevac is still a promising sector according to this year s figures.

AgustaWestland AW101 (top).

represents the largest market of its kind in Europe, and is ranked third worldwide. With 120 helicopters in Britain, Eurocopter provides more than any other helicopter manufacturer.

The single-engine EC120 B and AS350 B3e helicopters completed by Eurocopter UK offer versatility, affordability, high safety standards and minimum life cycle cost in the lightweight rotorcraft category.

One of 2013’s highpoints for AgustaWestland was a contract for 16 AW101 helicopters plus support and training, valued at approximately £1 billion ( 1.15 billion), to meet the Norwegian All Weather SAR Helicopter (NAWSARH) requirement.

The contract signing ceremony was held in Oslo today in the presence of Anders Anundsen, Minister of Justice and Public Security, and Daniele Romiti, CEO of AgustaWestland.

Aircraft deliveries to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, who will fly and operate the helicopters, will start in 2017 and continue through to 2020.

The aircraft will be assembled at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in the UK. As part of the contract, a fifteen year “turnkey” support solution will be delivered, comprising spares and technical support and training services, with an option for it to be extended for a further five years.

Daniele Romiti, AgustaWestland’s CEO said: “We are delighted that the AW101 has been awarded the Norwegian All Weather SAR

52 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

Helicopter contract following a very detailed evaluation process of all the alternatives. The new generation AW101 will bring new capabilities and is a worthy successor to the AgustaWestland Sea King which has successfully served Norway for more than 40 years.”

He added: “The AW101 is recognized around the world as the most capable and advanced helicopter in its class and has proven its outstanding all weather and long range SAR abilities in service with the Royal Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Danish Air Force and Portuguese Air Force. Furthermore, the success reaffirms AgustaWestland’s excellence as a provider of advanced rotorcraft and comprehensive support solutions.”

Rescue (CSAR), special operations and others. As a bonus to manufacturers, the same helicopter platform that’s used as a heavily armed scout for the Army can be cross-marketed to the civil side in EMS configuration.”

He added that during the recession these rotorcraft market characteristics helped to smooth out the bumps.

“When civil sales activity was down as a whole, firm government contracts from the military helped to offset this. Now, just as military contracts are threatened by shrinking defense budgets, civil is making a timely comeback. The industry is even able to self-heal itself on an intra-segment level, such as when the healthy civil offshore market recently compensated for a steep drop in civil corporate sales.

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REPORT

COMPLETION AND REFURBISHMENT

BESPOKE INTERIORS ARE SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO GO To kick off the New Year, we look at the different sides of the completions business, from refurbishment and design to component supply, and cover the big names and projects of 2013.

By Ivan Veretennikov

B

CUSTOMIZED

According to Duncan Aviation (top), today s buyers are looking for turn-key, readyto-go aircraft.

espoke interior design is sometimes the only way to go in Business Aviation. For a head of state or a large corporation it means outfitting the aircraft to their particular mission, while a wealthy family turns to their favorite studio to make sure that the airplane feels like home and has everything necessary on a long journey.

Owners seeking to custom-build their airliners have a choice of brilliant designers and experienced completion centers. In many cases the two even come together. Believe it or not, the problem is to find a slot: major outfitters are booked far ahead, and first deliveries of green Boeing 787 aircraft will mean longer queues.

Design and completions of the most expensive, spacious, and capable byliners are, however, just one side of this business (and one that seems to be particularly stable judging by the conversations we’ve had).

Refurbishment of pre-owned aircraft – either to sell it on at a higher price or to enjoy modern conveniences such as up-to-date avionics and cabin management systems – is another section of the market that sees steady demand.

There are enough aircraft aged 15-20 years that are in perfectly good condition, but feel dated due to an old-fashioned interior or dials in the cockpit.

In a challenging economy many opt to upgrade their existing asset rather than seek financing for a new one and wait for the old one to sell (which for midsize and large-cabin jets may well take over a year).

54 - BART: FEB - APR - 2014

2013 was a steady year for this segment of the business aviation market, with companies announcing new projects, victories, and technologies.

There were also major deliveries, such as the ACJ340 by Gore Design Completions, and projects coming down the pipeline (two Boeing 747-8 aircraft at Lufthansa Technik, for example). Suppliers are reporting a growing demand for their services, which means that in general the interior outfitting business is doing fine.

Duncan “Today’s buyers are looking for a turn-key, ready-to-go, pedigreed aircraft with a current inspection status and a record of who performed the inspections. Although safety tends to trump cosmetics, buyers want an exterior that’s sharp looking and an interior that’s easy to personalize with very little downtime,” says Doug Roth, Aircraft Acquisition and Consignment Representative at Duncan Aviation.

The company, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, delivered several aircraft in 2013, including a refurbished Global Express and Falcon 900, as well as a Global 5000 with a memorable paint job.

Customers are a mix of those who want to re-sell their aircraft or give it an overhaul and use it themselves.

According to Duncan Aviation, the main areas to focus on apart from the actual leathers, veneers, and carpet are the cabin management system (CMS), lighting, and avionics. A Falcon 900 exhibited by the company at NBAA in Las Vegas last year demonstrated the entire range of capabilities of Duncan Aviation.

A Universal Avionics cockpit upgrade centred on only the necessary instruments, maximizing efficiency.

The exterior was re-painted and the aircraft got new winglets. Inside, it was completely refurbished, including new cabinets and tables, stone counters, drink rails, and more. The aircraft got EMTEQ LED mood lighting and a Rockwell Collins Venue CMS, resulting in a thoroughly modern cabin with all features one would expect of a Falcon 900 acquired today.

The Duncan Aviation paint shop confirmed its expertise when the company delivered a unique Global 5000: OE-IXX, operated by Amira Air. The customer brought a paint scheme with curving lines entangling the fuselage to create a very intricate 3D image. “The first thing the sales staff asked us was, ‘can you do this?’” said Master Paint Specialist Stacy Finch, who has been with the company for 15 years. “Our immediate response was, ‘of course.’ We love a good challenge.” The job was so complex it had to be literally done by hand, taping each line on the fuselage to ensure it curved correctly.

Thanks to the team’s experience, the resulting exterior is striking and memorable, as the customer undoubtedly intended.

RUAG Aviation Another player making big strides in the refurb business is Oberpfaffenhofen-based RUAG Aviation. Before EBACE 2013 the company delivered its first full-cycle VIP completion of a CRJ200. As opposed to working with existing layouts or updating requested parts of the interior, as has been the case for previous projects,

this involved everything from planning out the layout to creating a tailored design for the components.

Aided by partners from next-door 328 Design studio, RUAG created a ten-seat aircraft with an absolutely modern inflight entertainment system and a fully wireless CMS that can be controlled from tablets or smartphones, just as on the high-end business jets rolling off production lines today.

“This project was a perfect match for us right from the beginning, and thanks to the right team spirit and our certified specialists, we have managed this conversion in a remarkably short down time and at a competitive price,” said Robin Freigang, RUAG Aviation’s Director Cabin Interior Program VIP & Executive Jets.

The additional advantage for customers is RUAG’s expertise in maintenance, repair, and overhaul. A refurb can be timed to major scheduled maintenance times when the aircraft is on the ground anyway, thus saving the owner time and money.

RUAG has another design partner that will surely bring in some unique projects over the years: BRABUS Private Aviation, the business aircraft interior studio established by the famous Mercedes-Benz tuning brand and offering the familiar supercar and luxury sedan ergonomics and lines for aircraft.

The Jumbo Difference In the VIP airliner business, the situation is different, although generally even in the most opulent designs customers opt for economy and green technologies as well as functionality and comfort, as we will see from comments received from designers later on. Big names, such as Hamburgbased Lufthansa Technik, are busy generating new business and keeping up with existing orders.

It’s still hard to get a slot in one of the well-known completion centers, as their schedules are outlined for years to come. Currently in the works are two Boeing 747-8 aircraft, expected to be delivered in 2014. Boeing is also the source of the most promising completions platform yet, the 787, and Lufthansa Technik is talking with several of the 12 787 VIP customers based on their great experience with widebody airliners.

BizJet International, the whollyowned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik based in the U.S., this year delivered the first privately-owned BBJ to China. The market, which is seen by many in the business aviation industry as having the most potential for growth, got a truly modern aircraft with a contemporary interior and an advanced entertainment system, featuring full Apple mobile device integration.

ADVANCES

RUAG Aviation is making big strides in the refurb business.

RUAG s stone floor on a Bombardier Global Express (pictured).

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REPORT

COMPLETION AND REFURBISHMENT health, environmental and – most importantly for use in aviation – fire protection qualities remain on the same high level.

The big news from San Antonio in Texas, where Gore Design Completions are based, are first of all in the change of ownership, with Saudi Arabian MAZ Aviation stepping in to buy the completions center.

Company officials state that the two MAZ widebody aircraft, which were under way at Gore at the time, had no effect on the decision. Mohammed Al Zeer, head of MAZ Aviation who holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut, stated the following reasons for buying the company “No. 1, Gore has probably some of the best people working in this industry. And the second reason is that San

The company is about to deliver two major projects, a BBJ2 for an undisclosed customer, and a one-of-a-kind modification of a Boeing 767, the 4FS/ER. This is a former 767-based USAF prototype of the discarded E-10 MC2A program, acquired by the Bahrain Royal Flight in 2009.

Apart from managing projects on a large scale, Lufthansa Technik has also made a significant advance in the small details by creating a new varnish system, for which it submitted a patent application. Although the new product contains just 20 percent of solvent as opposed to 60 in conventional varnishes, all of its visual,

ACQUISITION

Gore Design (top) was recently acquired

by MAZ Aviation.

Associated Air Center (center).

Jet Aviation s Timeless to Visionary concept continues to impress clients.

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Antonio is probably one of the most business-friendly environments that I’ve ever come across.” According to Al Zeer, Gore design will add 200-250 people to its 700-strong workforce in the next two years. Both Kathy Gore Walters and Jerry Gore will remain with Gore Design as consultants.

Despite some turbulence, the completions center had major successes in 2013, such as the delivery of an ACJ340 for a head of state. The huge airliner is divided into several major areas, including a dining/conference room with a big TV screen, a private bedroom with a double bed, and a master bathroom with shower, featuring a combination of wood, stone, and

gold to create a solid, classic house feel. The corridor running on one side of the aircraft past the VIP section adds to the home-like atmosphere and ensures privacy. Several sections in the aircraft feature firstclass and business-class seats for accompanying officials and entourage.

There is also a medical room at the aft of the aircraft. The passageway flaunts a screen dividing wall to the conference room with optional opaque or transparent glass for privacy at the click of a button. The renewed Gore Design Completions won two Boeing 787 contracts in late 2013, ensuring we will hear more about the company in the future.

Associated Air Center One more company from Texas, Associated Air Center based at Dallas Love Field, announced two milestone widebody contracts for an Airbus ACJ330 and a Boeing 747-8. To prepare for these and future widebody projects, AAC has invested several million dollars in facility improvements including hangar expansions, tooling, and training for existing widebody aircraft, as well as future Boeing 777 and 787 machines that will be coming in for VIP completions. The company has already doubled its workforce over the last year to nearly 500 to be ready for the significant increase in work load.

The ACC Design Center offers customers a first-hand experience that not many can duplicate: since 2012, the company has a Boeing BBJ mock-up that allows it to physically show clients what certain section of the aircraft will look like, way before the actual green aircraft arrives for outfitting.

Possibly an even more important advantage of this are the much reduced completion times, as engineers and technicians can now preinstall the planned interior on the mock-up and essentially give the full cabin a test-ride in terms of component compatibility and ergonomics.

As for current projects, AAC performed scheduled maintenance and made various cabin enhancements to a Boeing 757 belonging to a returning head of state from Latin America.

“Having long-standing, repeat, Head of State customers is a testimonial that our VIP customers choose to continue their relationship with Associated Air Center, trusting the safety and comfort

of their passengers to our longtenured team of experienced, trained and dedicated engineers, technicians and craftsmen,” said Chris Schechter, Vice President & General Manager, Associated Air Center.

Jet Aviation Another big name in VIP airliner completions, Jet Aviation, has directed its efforts at establishing and promoting a first-class in-house design team led by designer Elizabeth Harvey. The company made big news by introducing its Timeless to Visionary concept in a variety of media, including a video created by Advanced Computer Art and a printed book with rendered images and an explanation of the inspiration behind it.

The concept is comprised of two different interior designs for an identical floor plan of a Boeing 787. One is classic and elegant, built on a contrast of dark veneers and vertical surfaces with cream and beige leathers and carpets. An atmosphere of traditionalism and tranquility is reinforced by strong straight lines, the abundance of regular shapes and straight angles, as well as more subtle details such as the wooden sliding door of the TV cabinet and even an imitation fireplace. The latter would basically be a video screen, as a proper electric fireplace is unfeasible due to fire haz-

ard considerations. Other than that, both interior packages can be installed on a plane just the way they look, with seemingly free-standing furniture and the nice decorations that may be unnecessary in terms of function, but definitely add to the aesthetic appeal.

Compared to the above Timeless design, the Visionary is bold, modern, hi-tech, but not to the point of lacking elegance. Simple lines combine with asymmetric shapes of contrasting colours in a white-grey-silver palette, creating a very bright environment reminiscent of modern designer homes. The window-shaped lights in sidewalls stand out as a particularly nice touch. Both the Timeless and Visionary concepts can be scaled to different aircraft and augmented with additional details, but mainly they exist to make a statement of the Jet Aviation Design Studio capabilities.

And they have been making news around the world, in particular when the studio received the prestigious Society of British and International Design Award in late 2013.

Design Celebrities Despite completion centers gaining expertise and customer trust in bespoke design, the top names in creating unforgettable aircraft interiors are as busy as ever, working mainly on airliners size ACJ/BBJ and up. Andrew Winch Designs have recently delivered a private ACJ319 modeled after a “Gentleman’s Club” concept.

The studio strives to make each project unique, even when it is delivering a property, yacht, and aircraft for the same customer. According to Andrew Winch, tastes are very personal and are hard to categorize by region or nationality. “People are travelling around the world and meeting friends everywhere. One day they are at the opera in Vienna, the next they are in a restaurant in France. Then you meet them at a fashion show in New York.

They are in a sort of club of its own, and if anything, there is an international standard of taste. Although, of course, there may be a heritage of taste for certain regions, influenced by local religion and art, but we find that every customer is different and comes to us because we are known to create unique designs of high quality,” he says.

PERSONAL

Andrew Winch, of Andrew Winch Designs says that his focus is on catering for personalized tastes.

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REPORT

COMPLETION AND REFURBISHMENT Another major business jet interior components supplier Yankee Pacific Aerospace based in Rye, New Hampshire, has changed name to Advent Aerospace on 1 January 2014 to reflect a global reach of the company and its emphasis on technology, innovation, and product development.

According to Managing Director Ken Goldsmith, the company is “doing really well this year. We’ve seen an uptick, largely driven by the advent of the executive 747-8 and we see the future further driven by executive variants of the 787, still to come are the business and private versions of the Boeing 737 Max and the follow-on 777X.” The company supplies galleys, cabinetry, bar units, crew rests, and up to entire cabins for single and

Tim Callies, known among other projects for designing the A340 for the German Government, agrees that due to globalization customers have a certain universal understanding of interior design, but can draw cultural parallels: “Each culture has its own individual taste, and for that reason I can`t say in general that there is at the moment a certain trend in materials and shapes in the aviation industry. Sometimes a customer from an older generation surprises me with his wish to have a contemporary, modern cabin design, while a young customer wishes to have a very classical design. Of course I can recognize different styles between the Arabic, Eastern Europe, and Asian cultures.

“As in the fashion industry, certain design styles from the past become modern again from time to time. In the past few years I recognized that the ‘Art Deco’ style with its nice furniture details and beautiful materials like Makassar wood veneer and wonderful decorated fabrics were trendy in Eastern Europe, but also in some Arabic regions.”

As for the state of the completions industry, Jacques Pierrejean sums it up for himself in a few sentences that may be true for others “On my side, I feel a quiet period for the middle market such as Falcon, Global Express, ACJ, BBJ aircraft. Most demand seems to be coming from Russia and Turkey. Asia is also very promising.

Customers seem to be looking for unique designs and products, such as the Boeing 747-8 of our design that is currently in the works and scheduled for delivery in 2014.”

METICULOUS

Both Jet Aviation (top) and Lufthansa Technik (center) pride themselves on attention to detail.

Attention to Detail Things have also been happening on a smaller scale in the sector of business dedicated to supplying necessary parts and technology for larger operations, as well as updating certain structural components of aircraft. For example, Lou Martin & Associates, neighbors of Gore Design, and their sister facility Technical Composites Corporation have been busy designing shades, bulkhead partitions, and shell kits for helicopters and business jets, as well as refurbishing preowned machines.

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The breakthrough product for Lou Martin is the E3 shade, developed together with InspecTech Aero Service.

Basically, the shade combines electromechanical parts such as a pleated shade with InspecTech’s SPD-Smart iShade electrochromic window. The passenger can choose between keeping just the pleated shade down to let in some light and warmth from the outside to completely blocking out the sunlight by fully dimming the window itself.

double aisle VIP aircraft. Subsidiary Jormac Aerospace specializes in headliner, bin, and sidewall systems for the Boeing BBJ/737/727/757 aircraft that optimize weight, acoustic isolation and ECS noise reduction, while providing complete installation hardware kits to meet the unique needs of each completion center.

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T I M E L ES S TO V I S I O N A RY

Renderings by ACA Advanced Computer Art GmbH

Combining beauty and airframe technology to create the most exciting and challenging interiors flying today and into the future Reflecting your personal taste in an innovative and luxurious aircraft interior is our specialty at Jet Aviation Basel. We have completed more than 200 highly customized quality cabin interiors since 1977.

Our Design Studio understands that aircraft interior design is a process as well as an end product, and it is expert at managing unique cabin interiors to ensure that they are aesthetically beautiful, technically feasible and ergonomically sound.

Jet Aviation Basel l Completions Center l Design Studio Tel. + 41 58 158 4111 jbsl@jetaviation.ch l designstudio@jetaviation.ch www.jetaviation.com / basel

BUSINESS AIRPORT

DEVELOPING EUROPE S REGIONS

PROMOTING REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS EUROPE

By Marc Grangier

Improved technology, both in the air and on the ground, is making more airports available to Business Aviation.

But are European businesses exploiting this opportunity for regional development?

B

DEVELOPMENT

Business Aviation plays a fundamental role in developing Europe s regions.

Annency Airport (left). Universal Weather and Aviation (right).

efore looking for the clues that would answer this question, let’s first have a look at the latest Eurocontrol statistics. In Europe, more than 3,000 airports are open to Business Aviation (only 300 are open to scheduled services), but obviously, not all these platforms have an equal role in their regional development.

Last year, European Business Aviation flew 103,000 airport pairs (compared to 32,000 for scheduled traffic).

Ninety six per cent of those city pairs had no daily scheduled connection.

Furthermore, seventy per cent of Business Aviation flights took off and landed at small airports handling fewer than 100 departures per day.

The choice of smaller destination airports is clearly influenced by the fact that many large European cities have a number of airfields in their suburbs, within 50km of their city center.

We’re talking about cities such as Paris, London, Frankfurt, Lisbon and Rome. Geneva and Madrid are probably exceptions, the first one because of

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the geographical location of this city, mostly surrounded by the French border, though neighboring French airports like Annemasse and Annecy are often used by French businessmen coming to Geneva. In Madrid, Business Aviation operators used Torrejon, but the Spanish government decided to close it last February for economical reasons.

For Gonzalo Barona, Managing Director, Universal Aviation Spain, “Barajas provides the same benefits as Torrejon, and in some ways will be better, as it will have fewer diversions, which were frequent at Torrejon.

Barajas is open 24 hours and is approximately 20 minutes away from downtown Madrid.”

Convenience Many operators prefer to use smaller airports where VIP access to the aircraft is generally more convenient than at international airports. This is the case for example for FrankfurtEgelsbach, Germany’s busiest business airfield. Located in the heart of the Rhine-Main region, one of Germany’s major business centers, this airport represents a more convenient and cheaper alternative than Frankfurt am Main Airport, and managers get to their meetings just as fast from here.

Likewise, businessmen willing to travel to Paris or London often ask their pilot or dispatch center to choose

a destination airfield smaller than the main international airports, and better oriented, for the simple reason that in most cases, it will be faster to reach downtown.

In London for example, a businessman with an appointment in the City, will get there faster after he has landed at Biggin Hill, Luton or Stansted, for which the average journey time by car is below one hour, than at Heathrow or Gatwick – if he can get an authorization to land at these airports!

Depending upon the aircraft operated (it has both to fit into the strict approved noise categories and to be capable of making an approach at 5.5 degrees or steeper - this compares with 3 degrees at most other airports) and the limitation on aircraft movements on the selected day (there is a maximum permitted number of aircraft movements per day and per category), London City is the fastest option for getting to the center of London. However it’s also the most expensing in terms of landing fees:

five maintenance centers with PART 145 approval, it certainly contributes to regional development.

Furthermore, a number of large international companies have set up their headquarters in its vicinity, as it is located seven km from Paris, ten km from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and twenty km from the Paris-La Défense central business district. In addition to Paris-Le Bourget, Aéroports de Paris offers Business Aviation traffic the use of the airfields of Toussus-LeNoble and Pontoise-Cormeilles-enVexin, as well as the heliport of IssyLes-Moulineaux.

Concerning Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin, Rémi Dubois, manager of Handling Partners, the company in charge of handling services at the airport, told that not long ago, when there was a

£1,850, against £745 for Luton, £1,160 for Farnborough and £1,710 for Biggin Hill. In terms of business jet movements in the London area, Luton had the highest traffic last year – 25,296 movements – compared to 18,966 for Farnborough, 9,193 for Biggin Hill, 6,794 for Northolt, 5,256 for London City, 4,186 for Oxford and 1,502 for Cambridge.

Paris for its part offers twelve airfields open to Business Aviation in a radius of 50 km. For businessmen having meetings at La Défense, landing at Toussus-le-Noble or Saint-Cyr l’Ecole, two airfields open to international traffic, will certainly allow them to arrive much quicker than if they land at Le Bourget. And it’s not surprising that these twelve airfields have a traffic exceeding 700,000 movements per year, many being also used by companies that have established their headquarters in their vicinity.

Thin Connectivity For Fabio Gamba, chief executive of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the number of flights from and to small airports reflects the “thin connectivity” provided by Business Aviation. Moreover, as regional airports handle two-thirds of Business Aviation flights, these economic benefits are mostly generated through using spare capacity at Europe’s regional airports – although access to hub airports is also critical if the full connectivity impacts and economic benefits from Business Aviation are to be realized.

It’s interesting to note that for eight of the ten cities close to Europe’s biggest airports, a single airport handled 80% or more of all departures within 100 km. Looking at the European Business Aviation airports with the highest traffic (November 2013 Eurocontrol statistics), Paris Le Bourget arrives first, with an average of 65 movements per day, followed by Nice (52), Geneva (48), London Luton (34), Zurich Kloten (29), Farnborough (26), Milan Linate (26), Rome Ciampino (23), Munich (23), Wien Schwechat (20), and Kiey (18). At first sight, these airports do not directly contribute to regional development, but to national development. However, they are often paired to remote airports, and therefore their contribution to regional development has to be taken into account.

A Glance at Some Business Aviation Airports Paris-Le Bourget airport attracts 20 to 30% of the European traffic. With manpower exceeding 3,000, it boasts seven FBOs, including three out of four of the largest in the world, and

general strike, the airport was the only one open for Business Aviation in the Paris area.

“We were obliged to close one of the taxiways to park the aircraft. We had many important visitors that we had never seen before, such as Cartier and Sanofi CEOs. If they come here more often, they will realize how convenient our airport is, and they might even decide to transfer their headquarters into our area. Our airport is a great springboard for the economic development of the region, and it is only 35 min from the Champs Elysees”.

Located at 28 km from Moscow center, Vnukovo-3 is one of the largest complexes of Business Aviation in Eastern Europe. Its Business Aviation Center, which can welcome sixty passengers per hour in the international terminal and forty in the domestic terminal, registers an average of 1,500 flights and about 10 000 passengers per month. Its apron and hangar facilities can park more than 250 aircraft of all types.

FACILITATOR

Business Aviation is contributing to Europe s recovery says EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba.

Eurocontrol (center) Paris Le Bourget (bottom).

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POPULAR

Vnukovo-3 in Moscow registers around 1,500 flights per month.

BUSINESS AIRPORT

DEVELOPING EUROPE S REGIONS

The airport is widely used as an entry gateway to Russia, for businessmen having meetings in Moscow, but also as a transit platform to smaller airports in the CIS and this is certainly a contribution to the regional development. One of the Global Fortune 500 largest companies used Vnukovo airport to develop its activities in CIS, and their managers often told that without their Vnukovo base, it would have taken them much longer to establish and develop a viable regional market at the destination airfields.

Rome Ciampino is situated 12 km south southeast of central Rome, just outside the Greater Ring Road, the circular motorway around the city. It was opened in 1916 and it is one of the oldest airports still in operation. It was Rome’s main airport until 1960, with traffic amounting to over 2 million passengers per year. Since the opening of Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Ciampino has been handling almost exclusively charter and executive flights. It is now one of the busiest and fastest growing airports in Italy. Traffic has grown so much that noise complaints are now forcing the Italian Ministry of Transport to look for a third airport for Rome, which could take over some part of the excess traffic of Ciampino.

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA) announced last summer it had 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 ParisOrly) with 11.2 million passengers in 2012, and is the second French airport for Business Aviation traffic after ParisLe Bourget. Though traffic is mainly seasonal – summer – it is indeed of importance for the economy of the region, with the growing number of flights from Russian and Middle-East businessmen.

In the late 1980s, the British government realized that the lack of space in the South East of England for Business Aviation might impact the regional economy. Farnborough was therefore earmarked as a site suitable as a Business Aviation airport. A small civil operation commenced in 1989 and the Ministry of Defense then drew up a development brief for a complete

conversion of the site to business operations. In 1998, the UK government confirmed TAG as the future operator of the site. While there is limited direct evidence that the airport has influenced inward investment decisions, the airport and its Business Aviation services appear to make the surrounding area a more attractive location in which to do business for larger firms with overseas interests.

The airport’s use by major corporate firms within the South West and West London, and its strong growth on the back of such usage, also suggests the airport is an important factor for larger businesses with overseas interests or relying heavily on convenient air travel.

Analysis of aircraft arrivals at Farnborough indicates that the vast majority of flights (57%) originate from within Europe (excluding the UK), followed by the UK (32.9%), with much smaller but still significant proportions from North America and the Caribbean (3.5%), and the Middle East (2.3%).

Though Swiss bank secrecy has come to an end, Zurich continues to attract foreign bankers and investors, though the number of movements slightly declined last year, to an average of 29 movements per day. In order to facilitate the use of their airport, Zurich Airport authorities and Skyguide (Swiss ATC) initiated a satellite-based take-off on runway 34.

This was the first time that a take-off procedure had been used in Switzerland that specified a turn radius for the turning segment. Zurich airport authorities also decided to install a ground-based augmentation system (GBAS), which will increase the accuracy of the GPS signal so that aircraft with the appropriate equipment will be

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able to use the GPS technology to land even in low cloud or when visibility is poor. The ground station will meet the technical requirements for introducing further environmentally and noise-optimized procedures in future, such as continuous descent approaches (CDA). Beginning in autumn 2014 the first landings will take place as part of a one-year monitoring phase; once this phase has been concluded, the facility will be approved for regular operations.

As the third ranking business airport in France, Lyon-Bron continues to develop in two main areas: Business Aviation activities, with infrastructure and new facilities projects that will increase the handling capacity (hangars, parking areas and runways), and the creation of a real estate and retail tertiary business cluster, with renovation of the existing infrastructures. Last year, its runway was grooved in order to prevent aquaplaning during take-off and landing, and also to benefit from a 15% length increase in case of rain due to JAR OPS regulations.

Located between Marseilles and Toulon, on the French Riviera, the Castellet airport (built 50 years ago by Paul Ricard, the French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand), is frequently used by Brad Pitt and his family to fly by helicopter to their nearby home in Correns. But François André, the airport manager, regrets that his platform, which can welcome aircraft up to the size of the Airbus A319 or Boeing B737, is not known by enough business jet operators, as in his opinion the area has a great potential in terms of touristic venues, and the airport could play a much more important role to develop the hotel economy in the region.

Then at Shannon airport, which of all European Airports is situated at the most western point, the Irish Government designated it as Ireland’s Transatlantic Airport at its inception.

Even if most of its business jet traffic is transit traffic – it is the only airport in Europe with US Preclearance for Business Aviation– Mary Considine, Company Secretary, Shannon Group plc, and ex Director of Shannon Airport, believes that “this is of benefit not just to Shannon but the entire region as this exposes us to some of the world’s leading high-net worth individuals and corporations, which can only be good. We are witnessing particular growth across the MiddleEast and US markets and this is no coincidence as Shannon is as a potential crossroads for Business Aviation travel between these regions”.

Recognizing the Value of Business Aviation In Europe, Business Aviation remains a short-range activity: more than half of flights are under 500 km. hence the necessity in many cases to use smaller airfields closer to remote industrial plants or facilities. Last year, Oxford Economics, one of Europe’s foremost global forecasting and research consultancies, released a report demonstrating how Business Aviation delivers substantial benefits to not only its clients, but also to local governments and communities.

Commissioned by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the study underlined the importance of Business Aviation to the local economy. It found, for example, at Farnborough Airport in the UK, direct on-site employment was esti-

mated at around 1,000, but an additional 4,000 jobs in the local area were part of the airport’s wider supply chain.

Elsewhere NetJets’ recent order for new planes would help sustain 5,000 jobs in Belfast into the medium term.

Business aviation’s contribution to physical investment in the local economy is also noted. For example, looking ahead, Paris-Le Bourget airport expects to spend around 70M in the coming decade upgrading its facilities.

“What this study clearly pointed out is that Business Aviation is playing a key role in facilitating Europe’s recovery,” says Fabio Gamba, EBAA CEO. “This importance should be recognized in policy formulation, with legislators developing regulations and mechanisms that bolster Business Aviation activity in order to further stimulate the growth of our region, rather than ignore it as it was evidenced with the European Commission’s proposed recast on slot allocation, or penalize it as the Italian government has done by introducing a

double tax on owners and passengers, resulting in dismal traffic figures in the country.”

According to a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, the European Business Aviation sector contributed last year a total of 19.7bn in annual gross value added (GVA) to the European economy and accounted for approximately 0.2% of the combined GDP of the European Union (EU), Norway and Switzerland included.

Moreover, it provided 164,000 jobs, with 5.7 billion generated in salaries and wages. For Cristiana Cristureanu, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, European airports have a considerable economic and social impact on their surrounding regions, as they provide the essential infrastructure to support regional social and economic growth. It is also possible to identify “air intensive” sectors of business. For Cristureanu, it is the financial and business services sectors which often make the greatest use of air transport and for whom accessibility to air services will have the strongest influence on location decisions.

Accessing communities with little or no airline service is one of the great advantages of business aviation. But the contrary is also true, and there are many cases where Business Aviation allows companies, located in small towns or rural communities with little or no commercial airline service, not to be isolated.

This is for example the case of JCB, one of the largest privately owned engineering and manufacturing companies in the UK and the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction machinery. With a global presence,

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DISTANCE

In Europe, Business Aviation is still mostly a shortrange activity.

TAG Farnborough (top left), Lyon Bron (top right) and Castellet International Airport (center).

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PREVIEW

HELI-EXPO

INTRODUCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROTOR AIRCRAFT

By Nick Klenske

T

INFLUX

You can expect more than 20,000 visitors to descend on Anaheim for this year s Heli-Expo.

he helicopter industry is growing, and its leading trade show, HeliExpo is growing too. Indeed, this year you can expect more than 20,000 industry professionals from around the world to descend on Anaheim, California to see the latest in verticallift manufacturing, equipment and avionics.

But Heli-Expo is more than just an exhibition, it is also an opportunity for likeminded individuals to network with industry peers, suppliers and vendors, celebrate the successes of the year past and to plan for the challenges ahead.

On the show floor, one can expect to hear a lot about the Next Generation.

‘NextGen’ is a popular buzz word within the aerospace industry, and the helicopter sector is no exception. By definition, NextGen is a reference to the new US National Airspace System that the FAA will be rolling out between now and 2025 that is aimed at transforming aviation safety.

But NextGen is much more than more sophisticated avionics – it’s a whole new way of looking at the future

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of the helicopter industry. With all the new high-tech aircraft of the ‘next generation’, the big question on everyone’s mind is “where is the next generation of helicopter pilots?”

“The simple fact is that our industry is growing – sales are up, markets are expanding and missions are multiplying. But while that side of the industry is growing, the number of new people entering the industry is decreasing, which is obviously not a sustainable trend for our industry,” says Matt Zuccaro, President, HAI. “We in the helicopter industry know that we have the goods, so what’s keeping the people away?”

According to Zuccaro, a career as a helicopter pilot offers a little of everything. The industry is unique in that it offers a multitude of missions and work environments – from big cities to coastal environments and roles in law enforcement, air ambulance, search and rescue and corporate transportation.

“From listening to the stories of various HAI members, I can tell you that there are no limits to where a career in

helicopter aviation can take you,” says Zuccaro. “Let’s make sure that young people are aware of the opportunities available in all segments of the helicopter industry.”

The issue of recruitment is a real threat to the sustainability of the industry. “If we don’t turn this trend around our industry, which plays a unique role in many sectors of our economy, may have seen its best days,” says Zuccaro. “And this isn’t because of a poor economy or government overregulation, but a result of our inability to attract enough people to the field.”

“This is an effort that is being fought on a large scale by organizations such as HAI, but the true success is going to be in those one-on-one contacts made by those of you out in the field,” he says. “When an opportunity arises to connect with a potential new industry entrant, reach out and grab it. One by one, person by person, we can ensure the future of our industry.”

Failure to do so will leave the next generation of high-tech helicopters grounded…

the ideal choice for a VVIP completion.

As of the Paris Airshow 2013, the company had received nearly 80 orders since its launch at the same airshow in 2011. Its maiden flight happened in December 2011 and first deliveries commenced at the close of 2013.

The spacious cabin is configured with 16 seats as standard with the option for a high density 18 seat layout or a long range 12 seat configuration.

The cockpit design, incorporating the latest in advanced situational awareness technologies, reduces crew workload and enhances safety. The AW189 is unique in having a 50 minute ‘rundry’ capable main gear box, exceeding current certification standards and offering unmatched safety and reliability for long range offshore operations.

The Next Generation of Helicopters Heli-Expo 2014’s show floor will be packed full of the latest aircraft and related technology and services.

Here’s a brief preview of what you can expect from Anaheim.

AgustaWestland The Anglo-Italian company, owned

by Italy’s Finmeccanica, bills itself as a total capability provider in the vertical lift market. Through its rotorcraft systems design, development, production and integration capabilities, its experience in the training business and its customer-focused Integrated Operational Support solutions, AgustaWestland delivers an unrivalled mission capability to military and commercial operators around the world. It is this expertise, backed by technological excellence and innovation, that makes the company a leader in a number of the world’s most important helicopter markets, offering the widest range of advanced rotorcraft available for both commercial and military applications.

One of these ‘Next Generation’ of helicopters that is sure to be a topic of conversation at this year’s show is the state-of-the-art, 8 tonne class AW189.

According to the company, the AW189 was designed in answer to the growing market demand for a versatile, affordable, multirole helicopter. The AW189 is optimized to operate in harsh conditions undertaking long range, deep water missions typical for the offshore industry. The helicopter

combines high performance, competitive operating economics and superior passenger comfort and exceeds the most recent FAA and EASA Part 29 safety requirements, along with the stringent safety needs of the oil and gas industry.

Specific to the corporate context, the AW189’s combination of speed and internal vibration and noise deliver exceptional passenger comfort. The use of the Auxiliary Power Unit on the ground to provide air conditioning ensures passengers remain comfortable whatever the outside temperature without the need to engage the rotors.

On the inside, the helicopter comes fitted with the finest interiors, making it

Bell Helicopter With a history reaching back to 1935, innovation has always been at the heart of the company’s mission. Thus, the company has a track record for setting the bar for the next generation of rotorcraft. To date it has delivered more than 35,000 aircraft around the world.

Bell Helicopter has a claim to being the inventor of the tilt rotor aircraft – which some see as the future of the sector. These unique aircraft lift like a helicopter but fly like a plane, offering twice the speed, three times the payload and five times the range of traditional helicopters. If this is the next generation of rotorcraft, it is safe to

EXHIBITING

AgustaWestland s AW189 Next Generation (top) Helicopter will be on display, as will Bell s 412 EPI.

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PREVIEW

HELI-EXPO heavily at the export market. Target customer segments include utility, law enforcement, civilian flight training and other applications.

The 525 Relentless is billed as the world’s first ‘super medium’ helicopter – positioned at the upper end of the medium class and designed to offer best-in-class capabilities. It features superior payload and range, cabin and cargo volumes and crew visibility. This latest version of the highly successful CT7 family is designed with an emphasis on low fuel consumption, low cost of operation and with other technical features to ensure aircraft meet the requirements of long range, high payload missions. The CT7-2F1 engine includes a state-of-the-art Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) plus advanced materials, primarily in the turbine section.

PROGRESSING

Heli-Expo is also the perfect forum for learning about new innovations in the Helicopter Industry.

Eurocopter 145 T2 (top), Sikorsky X2 (center).

say that aircraft will never be the same.

The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with additional plants in Amarillo, Texas and Mirabel, Canada. Bell has key logistics supply and service centers in Europe, Canada, Singapore and throughout the United States.

Last fall the company placed a special emphasis on its Next Generation products and upgrades. On the upgrade side, this includes the Bell 412EPI and Bell 429WLG. The new Bell 412EPI takes the Bell 412’s reliability and versatility to the next level.

Its BasiX Pro Integrated Avionic System provides critical flight information at a glance for greater situation awareness and safety. The Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 Twin Pac engines provide enhanced hot-high performance and increased Category A/JAR OPS PC1 Performance.

The Bell 429WLG, on the other hand, delivers exceptional speed, range and hover performance, along with retractable landing gear for ground taxi operations. The helicopter delivers 152 knot (282 km/h) speed with a state-of-the-art cockpit featuring single pilot IFR and WAAS precision approach capabilities. Its interior is exceptionally spacious with seating for up to seven passengers plus and pilot, with the capability of being reconfigured for numerous mission types. It

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also features extra-large 60 inch side doors opening to a 130 cubic foot cabin compartment, or 204 cubic feet when including the aft cabin area.

On the new product side are the Bell 525 Relentless and Bell SLS. The new SLS (Short Light Single), is a five seat aircraft focused on safety, efficiency and reliability through the use of advanced technology. The SLS aircraft will feature a load capacity of 1,500 pounds, a speed of 144 mph, and a cruising range of more than 400 miles.

The SLS is designed to support a wide variety of operations and is aimed

Eurocopter Founded in 1992, today Eurocopter is a 100% owned subsidiary of EADS and is Europe’s leading fully-integrated aeronautical group. One of its many innovative, ‘next generation’ aircraft sure to be featured in Anaheim is the EC145 T2, an upgraded version of its light twin EC145.

With certification expected to come this spring, it should take center stage this February.

The EC145 T2 flight deck builds on the same Helionix core used in the EC175. Helionix is designed to help

the pilot look outside rather than look down and focus on instruments. The innovative smart screens it uses lack touch controls and thus save weight because they provide some computing capacity. A four axis autopilot is standard on the aircraft.

The Turbomeca Arriel 2E engine, certified in December, provides an upgrade of the Arriel 1E2 and features a new axial compressor, new blade material and dual-channel Fadec, offering a 894 shp takeoff power. This does increase fuel burn, but the payloadrange diagram remains unchanged thanks to a four percent larger fuel tank.

The upgrade reduces maintenance cost by up to 10 percent and thus offsets the higher fuel consumption.

Further, the new avionics system will streamline shop visit time and the new tail design, featuring a shrouded fenestron rotor and no intermediate gearbox, lowers maintenance costs.

To date Eurocopter has received 80 orders, keeping the production line busy through 2015. First delivery is expected mid-2014.

Sikorsky Global Helicopters Sikorsky Aircraft has long been a leader in the civil aircraft industry, providing proven, state-of-the-art products for the market segments that demand the most reliable, dependable and supportable aircraft. From light, two person helicopters, to heavy helicopters capable of lifting 35,000

pounds, to fixed wing aircraft for surveillance, transport and more, Sikorsky offers flight solutions that, according to the company, ‘positively alter the course of human lives’.

When it comes to next generation innovation, expect to hear a lot about Sikorsky’s X2 technology. According to the company, historically, vertical flight has required a compromise between hover performance and forward speed. But with X2 Technology, this is set to change by providing increased speed over conventional rotorcraft designs without a need to compromise the essential attributes that make helicopters valuable.

The Sikorsky X2 Technology demonstrator aircraft incorporates several new technologies and has successfully demonstrated them in a flight environment.

Starlite Aviation One company looking to boost its profile at Heli-Expo is Starlite Aviation, an established global utility operator that has aggressively expanded into HEMS, oil and gas and humanitarian operations in recent years. With bases in South Africa and Ireland, the company operates over 35 aircraft and will be the launch customer for a soonto-be-announced helicopter at the show.

The company is well positioned to expand with an extensive Aircraft

Maintenance Organization providing all maintenance and logistic requirements for all the aircraft operated by the company. Main maintenance centers are located in Johannesburg, Pristina and Durban, with certified satellite AMO’s at key locations worldwide, all providing onsite maintenance through a permanent group of qualified maintenance engineers for the contract fleet of helicopters.

MD Helicopters Following an extended period of uncertainty, under the direction of CEO Lynn Tilton, MD Helicopters has gone from manufacturing just seven helicopters in 2005 to 52 in 2008. Today, the company boast 2,500 aircraft in use worldwide, with fleet users including the Korean Armed Forces, US Special Operations, Japanese Self Defense Forces, Jordanian Armed Forces, Turkish National Police, Houston Police, Columbus Police, CALSTAR, Argentina Armed Forces, the Italian government, the Finnish Armed Forces and many others.

MD Helicopters has publically stated its intention to renew its focus on differentiating itself from other helicopter manufacturers while filling the needs of our operators, regardless of market segment. The company's goal is to position MD Helicopters as the "first choice" manufacturer throughout the world.

"Looking at the helicopter marketplace and planning our place in industry growth is a tremendous challenge with potential for tremendous opportunity," says Tilton. "We can think of no better place to begin the journey than right where we are."

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AMBITIOUS

MD Helicopters has gone from strength to strength under CEO Lynn Tilton.

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THE DOCKET

CERTIFICATIONS

GETTING THE REGULATION OUT OF INNOVATION S WAY In today’s world of ever evolving high-technology, the idea of depending on such an outdated – and unsafe – mode of transportation is just preposterous. But that’s exactly the state of General Aviation (GA) today and it has big implications for our Business Aviation industry.

The GA Antique Show Did you know that the average GA aircraft is 40 years old?

So where are the new, high-tech yet affordable GA aircraft similar to the

By Nick Klenske

B OUTDATED

efore you get into your car the next time you head out for work, imagine if that vehicle was 40 years old – not in a classic, collectible car sense, but in a practical, get-youfrom-Point A-to-Point B sense.

Essentially you would be entrusting your safety to a vehicle that never went through any sort of crash testing and had no airbags, no anti-lock brakes and no stability protection.

With the average GA aircraft being 40 years old, something needs to be done to You’d probably just as rather take revitalize the fleet. the bus – or walk!

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very safe and very high tech automobiles that crowd our roadways?

Unlike the automobile sector, General Aviation’s development has been significantly restricted by numerous barriers, including: ❍ High certification cost that restrict the development of modern products and safety-related technologies ❍ Outdated regulations that fail to keep up with the technological revolution ❍ Overly prescriptive regulations that simply restrict future innovation and growth

“As a result of these barriers, it now costs up to EUR 70 million to bring a new plane to market – regardless of size,” says Gregory Bowles, Director, European Regulatory Affairs & Engineering, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

“Needless to say, at this cost no one is investing in the innovation needed to create the modern GA aircraft.”

To help remedy this dire reality, GAMA is working with the likes of the FAA, EASA and other national regulators to provide a much needed reorga-

nization of the CS/Part-23 regulations.

The primary goal of the reorganization is to double the real world safety of these aircraft at half the cost of certification. In addition, the new regulation will open the door to new field safety enhancing technologies and new models, spur competition based on cost effective safety innovation and create a set of internationally harmonized regulations.

“Take NASCAR, for example. When an accident happens in a race it is only in rare instances that it results in a fatality – in fact automobile related fatalities are becoming more and more

the exception than the rule,” says Brian Davey, Director, European & International Affairs, GAMA. “The reason for this is technology, but the same cannot be said for aviation, where the rules simply don’t allow this type of life-saving technological innovation to occur.”

To address such safety issues as this, the regulatory reorganization will create more flexibility and efficiency. For example, under the reorganization such authorities as EASA and FAA will be able to quickly adopt the paths to certification for new technology. In addition, they will be able to assure that requirements remain contemporary in an era of shrinking government resources – not to mention such advantages as speeding up the time to market and reducing the cost of installing lifesaving technologies into existing airplanes.

“In summary, the goals of the CS/Part 23 reorganization are twofold.

On the one hand we want to establish a better set of rules that facilitates the development of new technology,” says Bowles. “On the other, we want to harmonize the regulations so innovators can do something once and sell it around the world.”

A Focus on Flexibility The key to accomplishing this is to effectively separate safety requirements from methods of compliance.

Thus, the new regulatory organization will focus on high-level, safety-driven requirements that do not prescribe technical solutions. This will allow for a more efficient – and flexible – acceptance by authorities. This high-level

acceptance will then be passed on to the international aviation community, who can essentially fill in the blanks with detailed design standards that allow for the realization of the highlevel CS/Part 23 requirements.

“Under this new structure the focus is on creating new standards, not new regulations,” says Davey. “This creates a built-in level of flexibility for the industry to write the necessary details in accordance with the rapidly evolving available technology while, at the same time, maintaining a high-level of regulatory structure.”

The result is that safety standards are preserved by the authorities, who issue the high-level requirements.

However, the details of how to accomplish this is left to the experts who have the knowledge and resources to develop the most effective, efficient way of reaching – or exceeding – these recommendations. In a sense, CS/Part 23 is becoming ‘open sourced’, with the process open to anyone willing to pay the very reasonable EUR 60 for membership – which allows one to propose new standards.

To be sure, this isn’t a pipedream. In fact, immediately after pardoning the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, President Obama signed the Small Airplane Revitalization Act into law.

The law requires the FAA to implement the recommendations of the FAA’s Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee by December 31, 2015. In a rare meeting of the minds in Washington, the legislation unanimously passed in both the Senate and the House.

Following the signing, GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said: “The tremendous support this law enjoyed in Congress, and the speed with which it moved through the legislative process, demonstrates a bipartisan commitment to safety, as well as a widespread support among members of Congress for this landmark legislation. This law is a win for the government as well as general aviation airframers and suppliers, but more importantly, for the general aviation pilots and passengers who will be able to benefit more rapidly from new safety-enhancing technologies.”

Everyday Technology for GA Of particular interest to Business Aviation is how this legislation will benefit pilots and – more importantly – attract new pilots. “The US is losing 10,000 pilots a year as a result that aviation is no longer ‘mainstream’,” says Bowles. “Someone who grows up with iPads and high-technology will be very disappointed walking into a ‘modern’ cockpit, which typically lack anything like the technology we use every day.”

Yet this ‘everyday’ technology has been shown to save lives. In fact, many pilots bring their own iPads into the cockpit because their apps allow for a safer flight.

If the new CS/Part 23 Reorganization does nothing else, at the very least it will open the door to such common sense, safety enhancing technology. As GAMA likes to point out, the new reorganization will simply get the regulations out of the way of innovation.

✈

CAMPAIGN

GAMA is campaigning tirelessly to halve the cost of certifying a GA aircraft.

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce.

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MAINTENANCE MATTERS

OEM SUPPORT

THE MONEY IS IN MAINTENANCE FOR CESSNA AND BEECH

Cessna parent Textron s takeover of turboprop manufacturer Beechcraft is underpinned by robust aftermarket revenues and will result in a combined aftermarket business with sales worth more than $1.3 billion.

By Bernard Fitzsimons

T

he medium term attraction for Textron in buying Beechcraft parent Beech Holdings is the new relationship with King Air, Baron and Bonanza owners and the opportunity to steer them toward a Citation when they trade up to a jet. But Textron chairman, CEO and president Scott Donnelly underlined the short term importance of the aftermarket’s relatively stable and highly profitable revenue stream to recession-hit business aircraft makers in a late-December analysts’ briefing.

The merger, Donnelly said, provides for “a very stable and predictable service and support business,” adding about 35,000 in-service Beech and Hawker aircraft plus around 100 service and distribution points to Textron’s existing Cessna service and support network. That stability and predictability are important, providing what

Donnelly’s presentation described as a “steady flow of profits and cash through cycles” in a business where original equipment sales can be subject to abrupt and profound slumps.

Textron will continue to support the out of production Hawker business jets as well as the three Beech turboprop families, Donnelly said.

Customer support, through eight factory owned and 90 authorized service centers, accounted for around 31 per cent of Beechcraft’s estimated 2013 revenues of $1.8 billion.

And the service activity tends to be profitable as well as predictable. In 2011, the last full year before Hawker Beechcraft’s May 2012 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and the axing of Hawker production, customer support generated income of $95.3 million on sales of $562.2 million, a margin of nearly 17 per cent, while business and general aviation aircraft sales worth nearly $1.36 billion resulted in an operating loss of $602 million.

In fact, Donnelly said, “the service business generates most of the EBITDA [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization] in this business. It takes a very significant, fairly traumatic impact in the marketplace for those businesses to come off of their revenue and margin growth. I think you can pretty well count on

them to be pretty steady in terms of both revenue and profit growth even in pretty tough cycles.”

Aftermarket activities form a smaller proportion of Cessna’s own revenues, but one that has become far more significant against a background of depressed aircraft sales. Cessna’s overall sales fell nearly 55 per cent in the two years after 2008, from $5,662 million to $3,332 million in 2009 and just $2,563 million in 2010, before recovering modestly to $3,111 million in 2012.

Reduced aircraft deliveries accounted for most of the post-2008 drop in sales: aftermarket revenues also suffered, but far less dramatically, falling from $721 million in 2008 to $587 million the following year then increasing again each year to exceed the 2008 figure in 2011 and reach $793 million in 2012. That means they now account for around 25 per cent of total sales, rather than around half that proportion in 2008.

BENEFITS According to ASC consolidation unlikely Textron Both OEMs have extended their ser- Chairman Scott vice networks in the last couple of Donnelly, years. Cessna itself has added several acquiring hangars since the start of 2012, includ- Beechcraft ing new Citation service centers at brings a stable Valencia in Spain, Doncaster in the UK, and predictable Zurich in Switzerland and Dusseldorf in service and Germany, the last two acquired at the support end of 2012 from Jet Aviation. Cessna business.

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MAINTENANCE MATTERS

EXPANSION

Cessna has been busy expanding its Customer Service Network.

Citation Service Center Valencia (top), Cessna Mobile Support Unit (below).

and fellow Textron subsidiary Bell Helicopter share a new regional service center in Singapore, while Shanghai Hawker Pacific joined the authorized service facility network. The network now includes 15 Citation service centers and 24 authorized service facilities.

Shanghai Hawker Pacific has also joined the Hawker Beechcraft network as a Hawker authorized service center (ASC), along with Gama Support Services at Farnborough, Harrods Aviation at London Luton, Premium Jet in Curitiba, Brazil, Horizontal De Aviación in Bogota, Colombia, Cutter Aviation in Phoenix, Arizona, Flying Colours at Peterborough in Canada, Edwards Jet Center in Billings, Montana, Air Services Basel in Switzerland, and Kalamazoo Aircraft in Michigan. There is a new parts warehouse in India and a new parts distributor, Absolute Aviation, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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OEM SUPPORT

Beechcraft itself has opened new factory owned service facilities at Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States and at Monterrey in Mexico, bringing the North American total to nine. But the end of Hawker production has led to the closure of the US completions and service centers at Little Rock, Mesa and San Antonio, while Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has bought what Beechcraft described as its flagship MRO in Europe, Hawker Beechcraft Services Chester at Broughton in the UK. The renamed Marshall Aviation Services became an authorized service center for both Hawker and King Air aircraft, and while the disposal had an impact on the service revenue, Donnelly said, “the parts and part margin still goes through that channel, it’s just an ASC as opposed to a company service center.”

Opportunities for synergistic cost savings are a factor in any merger, but Donnelly effectively ruled out further disposals or closures of service centers. The most significant opportunities are in general and overhead expenses, he said: “I don’t think the cost synergy is necessarily out in the field where you’re providing that service to the customer, but how you administer and manage and run an overall combined service network should give us some synergies.”

There could be some consolidation of Beech and Cessna service centers if any are found to be under-utilized, he said. “But if we have two authorized service centers that are in the same geography but the shops are full and servicing the customers there would be no rationale for us to consolidate in that case.”

Rather, Donnelly stressed Textron’s commitment to continued support. King Air orders had rebounded once the uncertainty caused by the OEM’s bankruptcy was resolved, and he hoped “we’ll see that resilience in the Hawker brand as those operators and customers are comfortable that Textron’s going to stand behind this product line on a go-forward basis,” he said of the Hawker jets.

“We’re going to do what needs to be done to provide a very high level of service,” he added. “And we’re going to do what’s necessary through the lifecycle support of those aircraft in terms of upgrades and modifications to keep them current as necessary.”

Upgrade Programs Beechcraft continues to offer a range of upgrades for both Hawkers and King Airs. The XPR upgrade for the Hawker 400 combines new Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines, winglets and optional Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 or Garmin G500 avionics: the new engines enable the 400XPR to climb straight to FL450 in as little as 19 minutes. The 800XPR upgrade features winglets for improved efficiency, including a 5 per cent reduction in time to climb and a range increase of more than 100 nm, plus Honeywell TFE 731-50R engines for enhanced performance, a 7 per cent reduction in fuel costs and a 32 per cent reduction in maintenance service plan costs.

There are also such enhancements as the Safe Flight AutoPower automatic throttle system, which promises fuel savings of 3.5 per cent in addition to precise speed control and reduced pilot workload.

There will be continued investment in King Air upgrades, too, Donnelly said: “There are things that are in work as of today, and we obviously would co ntinue to m ak e those investments. I think you’ve got to continually do across the King Air platform the same as we do across the rest of our products and have a fairly steady level of upgrade and enhancements.”

Target areas for upgrades include cabin comfort, continued cockpit modernization to provide better situational awareness and safety, and better performance. Current upgrade programs include the Garmin G1000 integrated

flight deck for the C90, 200, B200, 300 and 350 models.

Other options include Raisbeck swept blade propellers for improved takeoff and climb performance along with reduced cabin noise, BLR Aerospace winglets and various aerodynamic enhancements. Avionics options range from WAAS/LPV area navigation and precision approach capabilities to synthetic vision, Max Viz EVS-1500 enhanced vision and Aircell SwiftBroadband satellite communications.

Of course, the large installed base has also inspired third party upgrade programmers. Nextant Aerospace’s XTi upgrade for the Hawker 400 uses the Williams FJ4-3AP engine to increase fuel efficiency by as much as 32 per cent along with a 27 per cent reduction in maintenance costs. It also features winglets, redesigned engine

cowlings and pylons and a Pro Line 21 cockpit. For the King Air C90, Nextant has teamed with GE Aerospace to develop the G90XT with GE H80 engines and a Garmin G1000 cockpit.

Blackhawk Modifications offers the Beechcraft-endorsed XP135A upgrade for the 90 series, using Pratt & Whitney PT6a-135A engines, and a range of OEM-approved options for 200 series models, all promising improved performance with reduced operating costs: the XP42 upgrade replaces PT6A-41 engines with -42s, the XP52 installs PT6A-52s in place of 41s or -42s, and the XP61, which involves new PT6A-61s. Smyrna Air Center in Tennessee offers both the 800 shp H80 and the 705 shp GE M601E-1A for King Air 90s under its Power90 program.

✈

CHANGES

Shanghai Hawker Pacific is now part of the Hawker Beechcraft network, while Marshall has bought Hawker Beechcraft Services UK. King Air C90 (top).

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FROM THE COCKPIT

ADVERSE WEATHER

WINTER WISDOM

By LeRoy Cook

F

REFRESH

Flying in winter can renew dormant skills.

lying through the pit of winter, when life-threatening wind chill and unusable runways are distinct possibilities, is not for the faint of temperament. It takes devotion to the cause to get an airplane out of the hangar in the dark, perform a perfunctory preflight with numb fingers, and race snowstorms to the destination’s final approach course. Wintertime flying is a tiresome chore, and if you live in the balmy southern regions but make occasional trips northward, you are going to be doubly challenged.

Dealing with winter’s difficulties is an annual renewal of dormant skills.

It’s a time to dig out the engine covers that have been piled in the corner of the hangar, put the tire chains back on the hangar tow tractor, apply rejuvenator to the boots and/or recheck deicing fluid level, if you haven’t used them lately. Most importantly, you’ll need to refresh your own winter-flying talents and methods.

Summertime flying is a much more casual affair. Convective weather notwithstanding, one expects to go on schedule, with little preparation.

Airports are always open, daylight is in the majority, ramp attire is the same shirt you wore in the cockpit. Winter, by comparison, demands respect. You had best be prepared, or you’ll be punished.

A wise old north-country pilot once told me “Son, never fly over country you aren’t prepared to walk out of”. He meant you should carry a parka, wear

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boots instead of loafers, have headgear and gloves, and upgrade the survival kit in the baggage hold. Carry some blankets for the passengers, in case the heater goes inoperative. Take winter seriously.

And Then, There s The Weather Weather patterns in wintertime move rapidly. You may have one day of ideal CAVOK conditions, during which you’ll make plans to go flying tomorrow, replaced the following day by a nasty front, which then turns into another clear day before the next system arrives. Winds, both aloft and on the surface, can be strong and shifting as high pressures and low pressures alternate over a steep gradient. The jet

streams dip south of their summer tracks, and triple-digit headwinds play havoc with medium-altitude flight planning.

The good weather days are the ones that are cold and clear, miserably frigid under domes of high pressure.

Warmer weather, while welcome, brings cloud layers and the threat of precipitation. Most of the time, you’ll find it relatively easy to top the lower layers of cloud, since the clear air is waiting no higher than the low-teen Flight Levels. The bad news is that, if there’s any moisture about, you won’t want to linger during the climbout.

Icing is going to be found at some level in those clouds, maybe even on the ground under them. Depart without delay, with everything turned on to ward off ice, and expedite your ascents and descents. Do not fool around with “just a little ice”, and don’t count on it sublimating away in the clear, particularly if the sun angle is low or non-existent.

Our airplanes can cover a lot of territory in a few hours, often taking us from one type of air mass to another, so an easy departure might be followed by a tight approach. Going into the northern regions requires added preparation and rethinking of one’s options. Flying over or through multiple weather systems can require careful planning. Going east or west can mean dealing with tomorrow’s or yesterday’s weather, as well as today’s.

Winter precipitation is much more schedule-threatening than summer showers. Light rain is hardly cause for concern, only dropping visibility to a couple of miles unless the air becomes saturated. A burst of light snow, on the other hand, can immediately result in a quarter-mile of whiteout visibility, and it only takes a cloud layer as thick as a handkerchief, it seems, to generate significant snow. Down low, a snow-covered landscape blends into an indistinct cloud base with dangling tentacles of snow. Reported ground visibility might be enchantingly optimistic, compared to the forward flight visibility seen from the cockpit. Sure, you can always see the ground straight underneath the airplane when clear of cloud, but, as the intensity of falling snow picks up, that circle of visibility shrinks.

When flying near significant bodies of water, be cognizant of the lake effect snowfall on the downwind side of the moisture source. As an otherwise-mild change in air mass moves across the water, it picks up a load of moisture it can’t hold and readily dumps it the form of airport-closing amounts of snow to the south and east. Chose an alternate on the dry side of the water or far beyond the fallout area.

Circling approaches are particularly risky when snow is falling; there’s nothing much in the way of visual reference to maintain orientation. All of the cockpit aids on the panel need to be supplemented with old-fashioned caution when you’re groping for an airport that passed by under the side window.

It’s quite common to encounter temperature inversions during the cold season. Cold air pools at ground level overnight, leaving the previous afternoon’s relatively-warm air floating along a few thousand feet AGL. Pollutants are trapped in the cold layer and cannot rise through the cap of warm air, reducing visibility. When moisture-laden warm air moves over the top of the stubborn cold air, raindrops falling into the sub-freezing temperatures below will become supercooled, remaining liquid until they contact a surface, like your airplane, where they turn into clear ice. This freezing rain is instantaneous trouble and must be exited without delay;

climbing into the warm air is the best escape. If trapped on the ground while freezing rain is falling, waiting it out in a heated hangar is about the only option.

Airports Aren t Always There In winter, you’ll have to deal with the reality of runway closures and perhaps entire airports shut down. The storm may have moved on, but the airport remains closed while snow removal is going on. General aviation is prized for its ability to use smaller fields, giving us more destination options. However, small-town airports don’t have the big snowplows and manpower of big-city aerodromes, and they may not recover from a big storm for several days.

Snow removal is an even-lower priority where it seldom occurs. Those freak snowstorms that hit the south now and then can wreak havoc with trip schedules; the only plows in the country are busy clearing freeways, leaving the airport for already-overworked contractors.

In the normal snow country, of course, clearing the airport is a routine chore. But that doesn’t mean ramps and taxiways get as prompt attention as runways. Calling before you go is the best advice for winter operation.

Find out if the FBOs are ready to receive traffic and what is their best estimate for the airport reopening. If you’re going to want a hangar or deicing services, get in line by making your needs known in advance.

By comparison, runway conditions are a known quantity in summertime, other than for some ponding of standing water after a rainstorm. Summer’s wet pavement adds to the stoppingdistance requirement, but not by as much as the slickness of wintertime conditions. Braking action reports are to be taken seriously; know the friction-meter readings that mean trouble, starting at about 40 and above.

Yes, you can land on a snow-covered runway, but how much more room will you need to get stopped? How much snow depth can you tolerate?

What if you hydroplane on locked-up brakes? What if your brakes freeze from snow accumulated during parking? These are all valid concerns for winter operations.

The point is, runways can be quite variable in suitability during the winter. If you’re counting on dry pavement to meet your needs, be sure that is what’s waiting for you. Don’t forget that patches of frozen stuff may be lingering on part of the runway, even after it has been plowed.

Finally, have a care when taxiing.

Late in the winter, some pretty impressive mountains of pushed snow will have been accumulated on the ramp edges and around the smaller taxiways. Don’t hook a wingtip on one of these moguls, or turn into a winter-tightened taxiway that can’t accommodate your wingspan as well as in summertime. And, always taxi as if you had no brakes; you might not.

Be especially careful on days with flat lighting, as encountered under a gray overcast that leaves no shadows, particularly deceptive after a fresh snowfall has rendered everything a tidy shade of white. The old snowpiles fade into invisibility, allowing you taxi right into them without knowing they’re there. Fingers of loose drift accumulate downwind of these piles of used snow, and you can roll into a foot of drift without ever seeing it. Throw on your lights to create some shadows, even though it’s daytime.

Can we operate in the winter, safely and effectively? Sure, but it’ll take some effort to deal with the vagaries of old man winter. Operate with caution and keep your options open.

✈

CARE

Operating safely in winter is possible, but you need to be cautious and keep your options open.

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SAFETY SENSE

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

A

t night in a clear sky, on February 14, 2010, the crew flew a Cessna 550 B, OK-ACH, owned and operated by Time Air Flight, without passengers to Karlskrona in Sweden. At flight level 270 the co-pilot levelled the aircraft and started a barrel roll to the right. Flight conditions were VMC ontop with a new moon and no natural horizon. After passing the inverted attitude the nose dropped to a pitch of 90° nose down. 40 seconds later the aircraft disintegrated on impact in a forest near Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna in Germany.

The crew were performing a positioning flight from Prague in the Czech Republic to Karlskrona in Sweden. During the climb-out from Prague the co-pilot, who was Pilot Flying on this sector asked the commander if she (the Commander) had ever performed a barrel-roll in a Citation jet. During the ensuing conversation the two crew members mutually re-enforced each other to attempt this manoeuvre.

What leads a properly trained and qualified flight crew to deviate from Standard Operating Procedures and to take a jet aircraft outside of its certified flight envelope?

TEAM-WORK

Understanding team dynamics is vital for multicrew aircraft pilots.

Boredom or Bravery The dialogue between the Commander and the Co-pilot during climb is quite revelatory about the psychological conditions of the crew.

The Co-pilot asked whether she had already experiences a roll during night. She answered laughing: “Yes, really.” He: “Better we won’t”. She laughing: “Do you enjoy that thing?”

Co-pilot: “You are the first one with whom I talked about it, don’t tell it.”

She: “Whom shall I not tell?” She again: “I also do it always, but I persuade to do that.” The conversation went on by both crew making allusions to the roll. Finally, right before 20:19 hrs, the Commander asked: “Sufficient, is it sufficient?”. Co-pilot: “For what?”: She “Sufficient. The altitude.” Co-pilot: “For what?” She: “For that.” Co-pilot: “It is sufficient”.

Was is boredom or bravery? Or trying to impress each other?

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RULES AND REGULATIONS

KNOWINGLY BREAKING THE RULES

Social Norms Leadership Risk Behaviour The Co-pilot was 32 years old, had a total of 1,600 flying hours and had joined the company in 2005. The Commander who was Pilot Non-Flying on this sector was 27 years old, had a total of 1,700 hours and had joined the company in 2009.

The l ea de r ship role of the Commander on this flight was hence made more challenging by a number of social norms prevalent in Western society: Firstly, the Commander was a woman commanding a crew consisting of a man. Secondly she was younger than her subordinate. And thirdly, she had joined the company the year previous to the accident, while the co-pilot had been with the operator for 5 years. All of these factors required more affirmative leadership from the commander in order to fulfil her role as Commander.

Furthermore she was PNF on this sector, as such she was assisting the PF with navigation and communication. In the context of the occurrence her functional role was that of supporting the PF. Given her inexperience in the role of Commander she seems to have regressed into a

more familiar Second-in-Command role.

While none of these factors were insurmountable, they added up to a very challenging situation for the Commander. The commander training should have prepared her to identify such threats to her authority and should have given her the tools to establish her leadership position within the crew.

The Commander carries ultimate responsibility for the safety of the flight. According to the CVR download the Commander failed to stop the suggestion of the co-pilot to perform an aerobatic manoeuvre, but instead told him that she had already performed such manoeuvres and thereby encouraged him to do it.

The co-pilot on the other hand exploited the lack of experience of the commander by challenging her bravery and her flying abilities when he asked her if she had already performed such a manoeuvre. He hinted that he had performed barrel rolls previously. Not wanting to be seen as scared or less experienced she answered in the affirmative. Later she challenged the co-pilot to go ahead with the manoeuvre.

Experience vs. Rules The limited flight experience of the crew meant that they would have to rely on SOPs and rules and regulations to keep them operating within a safe envelope. As the flight experience of pilot’s increases, their ability to judge situations based on previous encounters with the same or similar situations improves. The more experience a pilot has, the more he will base decisions on experience rather than rules and regulations. For an operator who employs crews with limited flying experience, creating a culture of adherence to SOPs is a vital component of maintaining the safety standards of flight operations.

Recovery from Abnormal Attitudes Both pilots had limited flying experience which meant they lacked the skills to perform a barrel roll at night safely. And more importantly, once they lost control of the aircraft, they lacked the skills to correctly identify and recover from the extremely abnormal attitude they had put the aircraft into.

Dealing correctly with abnormal attitudes is part of the simulator training programme. However the attitudes encountered during the second half of the barrel roll are outside of the parameters normally trained in the simulator. On a night without moon and without the visual reference of a natural horizon, the recovery from the extreme unusual attitude they had put themselves into would have required a tremendous amount of skill.

Intentional Noncompliance That their behaviour was against Standard Operating Procedures and in contravention of the flight envelope contained in the manufacturer’s Aircraft Flight Manual must have been clear to both crew members. Their behaviour represented an extreme case of what in the LOSA (line operations safety audit) framework is regarded as an intentional non-compliance.

In data collected by ‘The LOSA Collaborative’ during thousands of LOSAs starting in 1996 a conclusive link was established between the number of intentional non-compliances and the number of unintentional errors: flight crews who perform

intentional non-compliances are likely to perform a high number of unintentional errors.

On the other hand the data proves that threat and error management is accomplished much more successfully by crews who commit no intentional non-compliance.

Old and Bold Pilots As the old pilot saying goes: There are old pilots and there are bold pilots.

But there are no old bold pilots.

Ignoring SOPs and Rules and Regulations is not a sign of superior skill or admirable coolness, it is foolish and highly unprofessional.

Norms Acceptable Behaviour The Citation jet was equipped with a FDR and a CVR. When analysing the CVR, the investigators found that both pilots made references to having performed barrel rolls in Citation jets previously. Whether this was in fact the case could not be definitively answered by the investigation. However the possibility of such behaviour having occurred previously lead the investigating team to issue the safety recommendation that all aircraft in the fleet of the specific operator involved be checked for structural overload. No such overload was detected on the other aircraft in the fleet.

The heroes of today’s highly automated flight decks are not Chuck Yeager or World War Two fighter aces, but highly knowledgeable computer system operators, who understand team dynamics and can deal with human emotions and who reliably execute standardized procedures.

They need patience and discipline to monitor highly reliable computer systems for hours on end. Taking personal risks and displaying bravery are not desirable skills for multi-crew commercial air transport pilots.

Flight Data Monitoring The operator did not have a Flight Data Monitoring programme. Had this been the case, the flight ops management team would have been notified of any acrobatic manoeuvres immediately. The lack of social supervision by the passengers would then have been provided by an automated monitoring system. Most likely the pilots would not have attempted to barrel roll the aircraft.

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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.

FOCUS

The best crews have the patience and discipline to monitor computer systems for hours on end.

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INSIGHT

WITH STEVE FRIEDRICH VP, SALES MARKETING, CIVIL ENGINES ROLLS-ROYCE

CARING FOR THE CUSTOMER Last year, Rolls-Royce celebrated the 50th anniversary of Power-by-theHour , its pioneering approach to engine maintenance management service.

And in that period the company has added a range of innovations such as CorporateCare, a maintenance management service in which it added a range of additional features.

To learn more about this successful service, we have asked Steve Friedrich, Rolls-Royce, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Civil Small & Medium Engines, for an update on this program.

CAUTION

Steve Friedrich, Vice President Sales and Marketing Rolls Royce, says operators are becoming more risk-averse.

BART: What are your main arguments to attract customers?

Friedrich: As operators tend more and more to be risk-adverse, and do not want to roll the dice when it comes to engine support costs, CorporateCare allows them to budget their costs as easily as they can forecast their flight hours and cycles.

Through the program, operators enjoy increased operational availability and aircraft value by removing all engine maintenance risks. For those components covered under the program, the operators pay an engine flight hour rate governed by the CorporateCare agreement, and charges are payable monthly for actual hours flown.

Though very simple, it is comprehensive and enhances asset value and liquidity, mitigates maintenance cost risk and protects against unforeseen costs and unscheduled events anywhere in the world. Operating on a fixed-costper-flying-hour basis, the program aligns the interest of the manufacturer and the operator, as the operator only pays for engines that perform well.

The reason for that is that the buyer increasingly recognizes the risk reduction and increased asset liquidity that it brings in a market where pre-owned aircraft sales are very busy – some-

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marked by Rolls-Royce and was created for the business aviation market.

PbtH was invented in 1962 by Bristol Siddeley to support the Viper engine powering the de Havilland/Hawker Siddeley 125 business jet. PbtH pioneered an approach to engine management that aligned the interests of the engine OEM fully with those of the aircraft operator.

The engine manufacturer became rewarded only for engines that performed. PbtH offered a complete engine and accessory replacement service on a fixed-cost-per-flying-hour basis, enabling the operator to forecast such costs with great accuracy, mitigate maintenance cost risk and avoid having to purchase stocks of engines and accessories. PbtH was enhanced and relaunched by Rolls-Royce in 2002 as CorporateCare. As under the origi-

thing that brokers have confirmed to us directly. Our analysis shows that an aircraft enrolled on the program sell twice as quickly as those outside the program.

BART: Compared to the initial Power-by the Hour program, what have you added?

Friedrich: Last year at NBAA we celebrated the 50 th anniversary of CorporateCare’s predecessor, ‘Powerby-the-Hour’ (PbtH), which is trade-

nal concept, our focus is on meeting the needs of the Business Aviation client.

Clearly over this period of time we have been able to retain that concept but do much more to support customers. Today, CorporateCare features include a suite of engine management services, such as Engine Health Monitoring (which tracks onwing performance trends and operating margins using on-board sensors) and an optional service for the replace-

ment of life-limited parts; scheduled and unscheduled shop visits, logistics and removal and re-installation of engines; a global network of authorized service centers and personnel, ensuring that world-class support is available 24/7; an inclusion of a lease

new delivery Bombardier Global aircraft enroll in the program); Tay (powering Gulfstream G300 [GIV / GIV-SP] and G400 [GIV-SP variant] and the G350 and G450); and AE3007 (powering Embraer Legacy / Shuttle and Cessna Citation X).

device’s address book. The app also offers detailed directions to any support office using the device’s GPS and map functionality. Corporate customers are always looking for improvements in technical publications – both in terms of their ability to access, and the format of

engine within the plan for when an operator’s engine requires off-wing maintenance, thereby minimizing downtime; the transferability of the value of the program between aircraft owners, thereby increasing the residual value of the aircraft.

Furthermore, in 2012 we extended CorporateCare to include labor for line replaceable units and borescope inspections required under airframer maintenance manual (Chapter 5) requirements. The enhancement provides Rolls-Royce with more in-service engine data, further supporting Engine Health Monitoring. This will, in turn, benefit operators in terms of increased engine availability and the ability to forecast costs.

CorporateCare is also highly valued in the pre-owned used market, as it has been shown that it increases resale value and reduces time on market.

CorporateCare concerns all operators, ranging from the traditional operator to fractional ownership programs. More than 1,300 aircraft are now covered by the program around the world and more than 70 per cent of new delivery RollsRoyce powered aircraft are enrolled.

the data. We responded to that demand with a user-friendly, interactive BR725 technical publication available on the iPad. The iPad publication includes 3D Models fused with published maintenance procedures – a first for RollsRoyce.

BART: What are the engines that can be covered by the program?

Friedrich: CorporateCare applies to the following new and in-service Rolls-Royce engine types: BR725 (powering Gulfstream G650 - over 80%” of the G650s delivered last year have their engines covered by CorporateCare); BR710 (powering Gulfstream G500 [GV / GV-SP] and G550 [GV-SP variant] and Bombardier Global Express and Global 5000 - more than 75% of all

BART: How have customers responded to CorporateCare?

Friedrich: I must admit that buyers are recognizing its value – in the last year we have seen a 40 per cent growth in CorporateCare contracts. We actually contracted for more Rolls-Royce powered aircraft than new Rolls-Royce powered aircraft deliveries.

BART: Could you tell us more about My Aeroengine Support?

Friedrich: Our recently launched mobile app, ‘MyAeroengine Support’, provides essential maintenance information to aircraft owners and operators on the go. From an iPad, iPhone or Android device, customers can immediately email or call any Rolls-Royce support location from within the application, or save contact information to the

BART: What about your network?

Friedrich: We have continued to develop our network to service our expanding number of engines in service and respond to the increasingly global nature of our market. We have more than trebled this network in two years to 34 authorized service centers today and we constantly review market demand for the future.

✈

More than 70% of the deliveries of new Rolls-Royce powered business jets are being directly enrolled into the CorporateCare scheme and more than 75% of all new delivery Bombardier Global aircraft enroll in the program. It is also expected that the number of customers will continue to increase with the entry into service of new Rolls-Royce powered aircraft such as the Gulfstream G650 and the Cessna Citation Ten. This is why the CorporateCare program is important to the industry, and also to its customers.

COVERED

Over 80% of the G650 s delivered last year have their engines on the Corporate Care program.

BART: FEB - APR - 2014 - 79

OPERATIONS

UNIVERSAL WEATHER AND AVIATION

BEST PRACTICES FOR EU OPERATORS CONDUCTING INTERNATIONAL TRIPS

By Adam Dowley

E

U-based operators flying worldwide should know that there are best practices to follow to ensure the smoothest possible trip. This is what Universal Weather and Aviation point out in their highly informative Operational Insights Blog: www.universalweather.com/blog.

EXPERTISE

Universal Weather and Aviation lay out the best practices for organizing an international trip.

What you need to know: 1. Documentation requirements Be sure to have copies of all required documents and permits onboard – including insurance (with war risk coverage), aircraft airworthiness and registration in case authorities at your destinations want to see them. Ensure that all passengers and crew, when required, have appropriate visas. If flying to the US, be sure to have an up-todate Transportation Security Administration Waiver, complete with crew and passenger details, as well as destinations you might fly to stateside.

2. Have all necessary overflight and landing permits Overflight and landing permits are needed for many countries, as soon as you leave the EU. Your 3rd-party provider will need to have crew and passenger details – and, occasionally, business contact information at destination – to set up permits. Some countries require that flight routings be provided with permit requests, and these routings are subject to modification by the local Civil Aviation Authority.

3. Consider other issues Ensure that your insurance includes a war risk clause and allows you to overfly countries that are considered at war or unstable. Be aware that, in event of technical and maintenance issues, you may not have easy access to repairs. For example, while much of the world has good original equipment manufacturer support, it may not be so easy to source technical support in more remote regions of Africa or the Far East.

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4. Keep fuel and credit issues top of mind Carry aviation fuel cards, as well as consumer credit cards, as backup. Be sure to check on fuel availability and price, pre-departure. Be aware that fuel prices vary considerably among different fuel providers and when using different aviation fuel cards. At some locations – especially more remote locales not frequented by general aviation – credit for services may be an issue, and it may be necessary to pay in cash.

However, with prior arrangements, your local ground handler will usually be able to extend credit for services rendered.

5. Consider potential issues in the permit process Permit lead times and documentation requirements can be somewhat onerous at times, so it’s always best to begin making arrangements early. If you underestimate permit or local requirements, and don’t fully prepare, you may find yourself operating illegally, your operation may invalidate your insurance coverage, and you may be unable to reach your intended destination.

6. Know crew documentation requirements and best practices It’s best for crew to have multiple passports so that one can be sent off for visas while the other is used for travel.

At some locations, crew may be able to obtain visas on arrival. Such visas, however, are often limited to a few days with no possibility of extension.

7. Be aware of passenger documentation requirements Ensure all passengers have valid visas and passports before boarding. Aircraft can be stopped on a taxiway and prevented from takeoff if destination customs/immigration has reason to suspect that not all passengers and crew members have valid visas. Be sure that passengers have evidence of required vaccinations when needed.

8. Be aware of curfews and schedule change issues Curfews exist at many international locations, and you may face operational noise restrictions or curfews. If passengers change schedule, be aware that this may infringe on curfew times.

When permits and airport slots are involved, it’s always best to make schedule changes as early as possible.

9. Use a 3rd-party provider to smooth operational details Using the services of a 3rd-party provider always takes the hassle and worry out of trip planning and execution. They’ll do the legwork, stay on top of the regulations, arrange your permits and have the contacts to get you the best options available at international locations.

Closing thoughts The bigger the trip, the more time operators should spend on pre-trip planning. Using a pre-trip checklist can help for international operations.

In addition, you can seek the experience of a 3rd-party provider and/or local ground handlers to help ensure your trip is as smooth as possible.

✈

The above article was published as part of Universal Weather and Aviation’s Operational Insights Blog.

For more blog posts see: www.universalweather.com/blog

UPDATE

AVIONICS COMPLIANCE

P-RNAV BECOMES MANDATORY AT MORE AIRPORTS

By Steve Nichols

B

usiness jet operators in Europe increasingly have to become Precision Required Area Navigation (P-RNAV) compliant if they are to land at major airports in the region.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport was the first to specify that any operator flying into the airport had to be P-RNAV capable. They were closely followed by London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Zürich, Nice Cote D’Azur, Stockholm, Vienna, Malpensa, Brussels and Faro Airports.

In a nutshell, any operator that is not P-RNAV compliant cannot land their aircraft at these airports – and the list will only grow longer.

It isn’t just Europe that is becoming more demanding. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to modernise its National Airspace System (NAS) through the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).

The goals of NextGen are to increase NAS capacity and efficiency while simultaneously improving safety, reducing environmental impacts, and improving user access.

This is also expected to be implemented through new PerformanceBased Navigation (PBN) routes and

procedures, requiring avionics that support RNP/ RNAV capability.

In addition, the FAA has taken the initial steps toward removing ground based navaids and the supporting Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs) based upon those navaids.

RNAV approach capability may become the mandatory method of flying into numerous airports in the US that only support instrument approaches that are RNP/RNAV based.

Many US operators will be familiar with the many and varied types of RNAV approaches and procedures published in the USA. The current US RNP requirements include RNP-10, meaning that a navigation system must be able to calculate its position to within a circle with a radius of 10 Nautical Miles (NM), and an RNP of 0.3 with a radius of three tenths of a NM. How it works But what exactly is P-RNAV and how do you become compliant?

To quote the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s own guidelines: “P-RNAV is a European Required Area Navigation specification with a required track, keeping accuracy of ±1 NM for 95% of the flight time, together with advanced functionality and a high integrity navigation database. P-RNAV capability can

be achieved using inputs from DME/DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and/or INS (Inertial Navigation System).”

It continues: “Typically P-RNAV can be used to fly P-RNAV-designed SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Terminal Arrival Routes) in Aerodrome Terminal Control Airspace.”

P-RNAV is the natural progression from Basic RNAV (B-RNAV), which became mandatory in European Airspace in April 1998 for en-route operations. B-RNAV required aircraft to have a track-keeping accuracy of ±5NM for at least 95% of their flight time. But aircraft with P-RNAV equipment now automatically determine the desired flight path by a series of waypoints held in a database.

The P-RNAV standards were introduced to improve traffic flow, increase airport capacity and to narrow the flight corridor of approaching and departing aircraft. The benefits include shorter, more direct routes and more precise navigational accuracy in the terminal and approach airspace.

P-RNAV is also designed to make a significant contribution to safety by introducing predictable and repeatable flight paths for all aircraft types.

IMPROVEMENTS

The benefits of P-RNAV are shorter more direct routes and more precise navigational accuracy.

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UPDATE

INCREASING

The list of airports that require P-RNAV compliance is growing steadily.

But in terminal airspace where RNAV procedures have been introduced, conventional procedures and radar vectoring by air traffic service providers to accommodate non-P-RNAV approved flights can negatively affect airport capacity and increase delays. This is why many European States have placed restrictions on aircraft that aren’t fully compliant with P-RNAV standards.

Many aircraft can achieve P-RNAV capability without additional onboard equipment, but while there is no specific requirement for aircraft to have GNSS-equipment to be fully compliant (unless the airport you are operating into specifies that GNSS is mandatory) many operators are going down that route.

P-RNAV compliance is currently being introduced. While no Eurocontrol-wide mandate exists, some states require P-RNAV certification for IFR operations in notified terminal airspace as listed at the beginning of the feature. It is also outlined by a national Aviation Information Circular (AIC).

Universal Avionics’ is typical of many avionics suppliers who have quick to offer equipment to enable P-RNAV compliance. It announced at EBACE 2013 in Geneva that its Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)-Flight Management Systems (FMS) ensures

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AVIONICS COMPLIANCE

compliance with the Precision-Area Navigation (P-RNAV) requirements set out in JAA Temporary Guidance Leaflet 10 (TGL10).

Its SBAS-FMS is compatible with regional SBAS systems in Europe (EGNOS), North America (WAAS), Japan (MSAS) and India (GAGAN) and is designed to comply with RTCA DO229, meeting current standards and emerging technology in satellite-based navigation.

To make the whole issue more complex, operators are required to ensure that pilots have received adequate PRNAV training. Specifically, document JAA (General) TGL 10 requires operators to have undertaken suitable ground training before operating in PRNAV airspace and air traffic routes.

Universal Avionics issued a white paper in October 2013 that outlines what P-RNAV is and what you need to do to become compliant.

The eight-page “Understanding Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Area Navigation (RNAV) Operations” says that failure to address RNP will, as time progresses, force non-RNP approved aircraft into undesirable lower altitudes (greatly increasing fuel burn), or severely limit the capability of a non-RNP aircraft to fly into a desired airport in instrument weather conditions.

As Universal points out: “There is more to an RNP/RNAV certification and operational approval than the FMS installation alone. Other aircraft systems are involved in achieving operational approval for growing number of RNP/RNAV operations and airspaces.”

It added: “Our customers have received RNP AR approval for various airframes, including the Bombardier Q400 down to RNP 0.1. Operators or airlines that have achieved this goal have attained valuable cost benefits for their operations.

“Each potential RNP AR applicant should assess the return on the investment required for RNP AR certification.

Obtaining an RNP AR approval is a complex process, but one that could produce significant benefit for the operator.”

This is a complex issue and some of the official authorities’ paperwork that has been released is turgid to say the least – it is not something to be read and digested casually over a 10-minute coffee break” Copies of the P-RNAV white paper, which offers a good grounding on the subject, are available from Universal Avionics, http://www.uasc.com/.

✈

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