SERVICE CENTRE LINE MAINTENANCE
service.txtav.com
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EDITORIAL
MORE THAN A FIRST-RATE PILOT ONE CAN BE A GREAT PILOT AND STILL NOT BE A GOOD BUSINESS PILOT. When flying executives in aluminum tubes around the world, pilots have to keep in mind that they are providing a crucial mission with Business Aviation and the way it’s provided makes the difference between a great pilot and an outstanding Business Aviation pilot. Obviously, the following remarks apply to captains as well as co-pilots. When employed by an airline, four strippers could fly around the world without coming across with a passenger. Everything is done for them: dispatching, routing, weight and balance, etc. They do not feed their passengers and they do not have to worry about meals, refreshments and passenger services. They just have to sit down and fly with the help of advanced avionics and flight control systems. The achievement or failure of an airline pilot is built on his ability to make the right decision, not to manipulate the controls. Sophisticated avionics and flight control systems allow them to become administrators of information. The copilot reads the checklist and he is also allowed to talk to towers and centers. These are the most important functions he will perform during the flight. The story is different in Business Aviation. You fly the airplane, but might have some time to carry the Big Dog’s suitcases and if you have a long trip involving wives, be sure to arrange a luggage service with the
Fernand M. Francois Editor and Publisher
FBO so that when the folks arrive they do not have to stand around in the airport whilst you manhandle the luggage. The usual pantry of a business aircraft contains the basics: lifesavers, chips and peanuts. Not enough to satisfy the growling stomachs of your passengers. Meanwhile, if you have a full galley on board, there is no excuse to rely on Sky Thief for catering. Don’t try either to prepare “Marion Cunningham’s Theatre Steak” or to impress Mr. Boss Man. Be ingenious, a Beef Bourguignon can be prepared the night before and it will only improve with age en route. Also be sure that you have on board the brands of wine favored by your passengers. Remember, you are selling services. To be a first-rate business pilot is more than just file, fly and land. Have you checked hotels, limousines, restaurants, business centers? Did you confirm the flight with the best FBO facility? What kind of reading material do you have on board? Time Magazine, Businessweek and Forbes are the most popular magazines if the man and his fellow passengers want to read something different than terror in the streets or check if their favorite team lost the football match. The Economist, Il Sole 24 Ore, Handelsblatt and La Tribune are essential when European passengers are on board. And don’t forget BART International. In Business Aviation, it’s service that really counts. The smaller the aircraft, the bigger the challenge.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali
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Learjet 23
North American Sabreliner
When the first aircraft built for business aviation took flight, FlightSafety was there. Working directly with our Customers and the manufacturers to develop and deliver training focused on safety.
Cessna Citation Model 500 Gulfstream 1
Model 90 Beech King Air
Lockheed JetStar
de Havilland DH.125
Falcon 20
we have served business aviation since the beginning TODAY WE STILL LEAD THE WAY IN TRAINING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE From the beginning and throughout our history, we’ve remained focused on our mission to enhance aviation safety. We continue to invest in industry-leading training programs and simulation equipment while providing the outstanding service our Customers deserve and expect. Most importantly, we appreciate all those around the world who rely on FlightSafety every day. Thanks for your friendship, business and support. We were privileged to be there at the start, and we’re proud to remain your partner in safety.
For more information, please contact Steve Gross, Senior Vice President, Commercial 314.785.7815 • sales@flightsafety.com • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company
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FLIGHTSAFETY 65TH ANNIVERSARY AD - BART INTL - JULY/AUGUST 2016 ISSUE - Trim: 8.25” w x 11.25” d
Bleed: 8.5” w x 11.5” d
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SECTIONS Volume XXVIII N° 4 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Fernand M. Francois ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Kathy Ann Francois
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PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL
8
POINTER
MEMBER OF
10
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Volker K. Thomalla vthomalla@bartintl.com
QUICK LANE
22
DEPUTY EDITOR Busra Ozturk
ON THE MOVE
24
ART DIRECTOR Tanguy Francois
TRANSATLANTIC UPDATE
SENIOR EDITOR Marc Grangier SAFETY EDITOR Michael Grüninger INSTRUCTION EDITOR Captain LeRoy Cook TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Steve Nichols ROTORCRAFT EDITOR Mark Huber NEW YORK EDITOR Kirby J. Harrison LEGAL EDITOR Aoife O’Sullivan CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Louis Smyth, Giulia Mauri, Derek Bloom, Guy Visele, Richard Koe, Brian Foley ADVERTISING Kathy Ann Francois Marketing Director kafrancois@bartintl.com Titi Kusumandari Marketing Manager tkusumandari@bartintl.com BART International. Premier Transatlantic Business Aviation Magazine. ISSN 0776-7596. Printed in Belgium, published by SA F&L 20 rue de l'Industrie at B1400 Nivelles, Phone +326 788 3603. Fax +326 788 3623. BART International is governed by the International copyright laws. Free Professional subscription available International distribution by ASENDIA USPS 016707 Periodical postage paid Call IMS 1 (800) 428 3003 Responsible Publisher Fernand M. Francois
EBACE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
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CONTENTS 30
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LABACE 2016
AVIONICS
Despite many challenges, Business Aviation will still create a buzz at the show, according to Kirby Harrison.
Combining Synthetic Vision Systems with other sensors will be a major step change, Steve Nichols writes.
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REGIONAL REPORT
EBACE REPORT
Kirby Harrison investigates if the 2016 Olympics could help Brazil’s Business Aviation get out of its economic malaise.
Marc Grangier reports EBACE 2016 wass a highly successful show, exceeding the expectations of many.
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BIZAV IN THE UK
MRO
Volker K. Thomalla reports on how the UK’s bizav companies deal with consolidation and other challenges.
The maintenance of bizliners is better put into the hands of specialized MRO facilities, Kirby Harrison suggests.
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ROTOR REPORT UK
CUSTOMER SERVICES
The UK helicopter market is slowly recovering from its recent slump, Mark Huber reports.
Textron Aviation has added capacity to its customer service organization, Volker K. Thomalla reports. 01/07/16 10:50
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OUR COVER
EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba comments on page 24 about the benefits of commercial OPS of single engine turboprop in Europe. Picture: Ohlmann Hartzell propeller.
FAMILY
Part of the Cessna Citation family, the CJ4 is a stretched version of the CJ3. Introduced in 2008, the aircraft features a different wing design borrowed from the Citation Sovereign.
OUR ADVERTISERS and their Agencies 57 25 47 5 23 21 81 73 9 84 11 53 45 17 69 41 13 29 19 2-3 15 83 37 27
th e,
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AMSTAT Duncan Aviation EBACE 2017 FlightSafety International GRETEMAN GROUP Geneva Airpark SA Garmin GCS Safety Solutions GlobalParts.aero Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation HondaJet MILNER BUTCHER MEDIA GROUP Jet Aviation Jet Expo 2016 JetNet LLC JSSI Jet Support Services Inc. LABACE 2016 NBAA-BACE 2016 Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Rockwell Collins ARINCDirect Rolls-Royce Textron Aviation Customer Support Copp Media Services, Inc. UAS International Trip Support Universal Avionics Systems, Corp. Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. West Star Aviation Inc.
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POINTER Events
Agenda FARNBOROUGH INT’L AIRSHOW July 11 - 17, 2016 Farnborough, UK
EAA AIR VENTURE July 25-31, 2016 Oshkosh, USA
LABACE Aug 30 - Sept 1, 2016 Sào Paulo, Brazil
IN SEQUENCE BRIEFING ROOM AVIATION FUEL SUPPLY AND DELIVERY Lack of fuel availability In the US, you generally have ready access to both fuel and facilities 24/7. However, smaller municipal locations may have limited hours of operation and limited equipment resources. At some locations you may only find Avgas, but no Jet-A. Remote international locations such as Majuro (PKMJ) are dependent on barges for their fuel deliveries and can experience shortages due to delayed shipments or fueling equipment failure. Advance planning is recommended if you are considering unfamiliar or remote locations in other countries. Your fuel provider should be in constant contact with their suppliers around the world on a daily basis and should be able to provide you with up-to-date information at any location you may be operating to. Fuel shortages There are airports that have issues ensuring a constant and sufficient supply of fuel is available. St Maarten (TNCM), where aviation fuel is barged in, runs low on fuel from time to time during peak holiday periods. Authorities may limit the fuel volume an operator may uplift in TNCM during these peak periods, while other times you may receive enough fuel to get you to another island in the Caribbean. Even after the barge has offloaded, it can take a day or two to run the required tests and make sure the fuel is on specification and ready for delivery into aircraft. Nice (LFMN) is another example where fuel supply issues can and do occur. There are regulations in France barring fuel trucks operating on roadways during weekends. If LFMN runs out of fuel on the weekend you may need to wait on the ground till the beginning of the week. Weather and fuel availability Significant weather events have the potential to knock out or restrict, fuel supply at certain locations for a period of time. Hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis all have potential to cause havoc with fuel availability. When a fuel quality event occurs it can take time to correct the situation and ensure that standards and acceptable specifications are met. This may force operators to plan alternate fuel stops. Fuel delivery to the airport Aviation fuel is delivered to airports and terminals in a variety of ways. It may arrive by truck, barge, rail car, or pipeline; and, in rare cases, fuel may be flown in to a particular location. For this reason, depending on the location and method of fuel delivery, fuel costs, and lead time for fuel arrangements differ. Delivery into the aircraft Fuel trucks are the most common fuel delivery method at international locations. While single point pressure fueling is usually the norm, this is not always the case. At more remote airports in Africa, for example, you may need to fuel overwing and this adds time to the refueling process. A lack of single point fueling can be a concern, particularly for charter (non-scheduled commercial) operators, on max endurance flights with crew duty day issues. Sources of supply You want to be sure you’re using an established provider that’s able to supply fuel in sufficient quantity, quality and on a consistent basis. It’s also important, particularly for more remote airports, that the local fuel storage environment is adequate and up-to-date. When ordering fuel for delivery into your storage facility, make sure that the trucking company utilizes dedicated trailers that only haul jet fuel. Conclusion It’s important to stay on top of the provider who’s making uplift arrangements for you. Fuel uplifts should always be reconfirmed prior to day of operation. If there’s any question on fuel availability, volume or quality at a particular destination, your provider should supply you with regular updates of the situation. If you have any questions about this briefing or would like assistance with your fuel planning, contact Bill Kosman at Universal Weather via billkosman@univ-wea.com.
JET EXPO September 08-10, 2016 Moscow, Russia
NBAA-BACE CONVENTION November 01-03, 2016 Orlando, USA
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@BARTIntl
STAGING OUR EDITORIAL SCRUTINIZER To enhance the quality of BART International, the editorial columns written by our journalists are all reviewed with careful and critical attention by BART’s Deputy Editor Busra Ozturk. Upgrading the code quality of the magazine and finding bugs before they hit the production platform are her main objectives. Busra networks with our in-house journalists and contributors, allocating their pieces of writing. She is also in charge of reviewing and writing industry news releases and captions. Graduated from the Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, Busra is fluent in English, French and Japanese. She also has a strong interest and high regard for aviation. A Turkish native, Busra lives in Belgium with her husband of Turkish nationality.
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MAX SPEED: MACH 0.85 • MAX RANGE: 6,667 KM • MAX ALTITUDE: 13,716 M
THE TOTAL PACKAGE Outstanding performance and exceptional comfort—the Gulfstream G280™ delivers with the best-in-class combination of range, speed and fuel-efficiency. The aircraft can fly from Lagos to London in 6 hours and 6 minutes. Autothrottles and autobrakes provide impressively smooth flight backed by Gulfstream’s award-winning product support. For superior flight in a super-midsize jet, fly the G280.
To contact a Gulfstream sales representative in your area, visit gulfstream.com/contacts.
GULFSTREAMG280.COM
Theoretical max range is based on cruise at Mach 0.80 with four passengers, two crew and NBAA IFR fuel reserves. Flight duration is estimated at best cruise speed and accounts for 85% annual winds conditions. Actual performance will be affected by ATC routing, operating speed, weather, outfitting options and other factors.
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QUICK LANE WEST STAR TO PERFORM FIRST 96-MONTH INSPECTION ON LEGACY 600 West Star Aviation has announced they are performing their first 96-calendar month Embraer Legacy 600 heavy inspection. The 96-month inspection is a very invasive process that includes removal of interior down to fuselage skins and frames, all large exterior fairings, landing gear, flight controls, wing leading edges, and, flaps are removed. The inspection requires West Star to conduct various system functional tests and NDT inspections, all done in house.
JET AVIATION BASEL LAUNCHES 3D APP JETVISION Jet Aviation Basel launched its 3D application, JetVision, at EBACE in Geneva. JetVision provides clients with a secure way to interact with the facility and visually manage their completions projects. Jet Aviation puts completions in the client’s control with the launch of JetVision. The app provides virtual access to a project from anywhere in the world, removing the traditional geographical limitations and challenges of project management.
JET SUPPORT SERVICES ENROLLS FIRST G650ER IN CHINA
GLOBALPARTS.AERO TO DISTRIBUTE PARKER AEROSPACE FLUID SYSTEMS Parker Aerospace Fluid Systems Division of Elyria, Ohio (formerly known as Parker Airborne Division) has named GlobalParts.aero an authorized distributor for its full line of fuel pumps, filters, pneumatic valves and controls. The division produces products for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft ranging from single engine general aviation airplanes to turbine-powered helicopters to long range business jets.
P&WC’S OIL ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY TRIAL BUILDS MOMENTUM AT EBACE
Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), the leading provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for the Business Aviation industry, announced that Brilliant Jet, the management company for the aircraft, and the aircraft’s owner have enrolled the first Mainland China-based Gulfstream G650ER onto JSSI’s Engine and APU Programs. “This new enrollment is a reflection of our long term commitment to the Business Aviation market in China,” stated President, and CEO for JSSI Neil Book.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) continues to build momentum for its new engine oil analysis technology as a growing number of customers register their engines in the trial. Now in the final stages of development, P&WC’s innovative oil debris monitoring technology has the potential to significantly enable proactive maintenance interventions and drive increased aircraft availability. “We are seeking ‘early adopters’ from among our Business Aviation customers to participate in the trial to support the final calibration of this technology across our turbofan and PT6A engine models,” said Timothy Swail, vice president of Customer Programs.
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SAFETY FIRST Jet Aviation Maintenance and Refurbishment Services You can count on Jet Aviation’s 50-plus years of industry experience whether you need a routine inspection, heavy maintenance and repair, refurbishment, or the technical expertise of our round-the-clock AOG team. Strategically located around the world, our repair stations are staffed by technicians trained in all major airframes. Keeping your aircraft safe and operational is our No.1 priority at every Jet Aviation facility. You can count on us.
Visit our global MRO locations: Basel, Boston/Bedford, Dubai, Geneva Hong Kong, Jeddah, Moscow Vnukovo Singapore, St. Louis, Teterboro, Vienna www.jetaviation.com/maintenance
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QUICK LANE TEXTRON HONORS LUFTHANSA FLIGHT TRAINING WITH HIGH UTILIZATION AWARD FOR EUROPE Textron Aviation Inc. announced Germany’s Lufthansa Flight Training as the winner of its 2016 High Utilization Award for Europe, reinforcing the longstanding relationship between the two companies. Brad Thress, senior vice president, Customer Service, Textron Aviation, commented: “We are very happy that our relationship with Lufthansa is now also yielding benefits for our other customers, with the recent opening of a Textron Aviation line maintenance facility in Bremen, Germany – space we share with Lufthansa.”
JET AVIATION SUPPORTS AIRCRAFT OWNERS, OPERATORS WITH PART NCC COMPLIANCE Jet Aviation is offering guidance and compliance assistance to help customers understand and comply with EU Part NCC, the European Union’s new regulation for Non-Commercial operation of Complex (NCC) aircraft that takes effect on August 25, 2016. With the EU Part NCC, it is intended to bring the safety level of non-commercial operations closer to the standards applicable to commercial operations. Jet Aviation is now offering guidance and compliance assistance with EU Part NCC in direct response to customer demand.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK, DC AVIATION GROUP SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Lufthansa Technik has concluded a cooperation agreement with DC Aviation Group, a leading operator of business jets in Europe. As part of the agreement signed on May 25, 2016, the two companies plan to offer their VIP customers a first-class package of services at Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central Airport). An experienced, highly qualified team of engineers and mechanics will ensure cost efficiency and quality that are “made in Germany”.
TEXTRON REVEALS SUPERIOR SETP PERFORMANCE, CABIN DETAILS
JSSI TARGETS BBJ & ACJ MARKET WITH ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER AGREEMENT Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), the leading provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for the Business Aviation industry, announced it has signed a service center agreement with Associated Air Center located at the Dallas Love Field. “Certainly on the airframe side, this is a segment of the market that has had very limited maintenance programs available. We are working very hard to deliver more options to BBJ and ACJ operators around the world,” commented Neil Book, president, and CEO for JSSI.
Textron Aviation Inc. revealed further program details around the development of its highly anticipated single engine turboprop aircraft (SETP), including unmatched performance specification targets, a superior passenger experience and the program’s timeline. The company also announced at EBACE that letters of intent for the high performance, clean sheet SETP are being accepted. The SETP will be designed to have cruise speeds of up to 285 knots and full fuel payload of 1,100 pounds.
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PC-1
FASTER ON LESS FUEL. THAT’S HOW WE ROLL. For the 2016 PC-12 NG, outstanding performance becomes even more exceptional. We began by adding a custom Hartzell composite five-blade propeller, and then made smart improvements to the aerodynamics. The result is pure Pilatus. A new top speed of 285 knots. Faster climb to altitude. Shorter take-off distance. But with no extra fuel burn. And an even quieter, more relaxing cabin. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd • Switzerland • Phone +41 41 619 61 11 • www.pilatus-aircraft.com
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QUICK LANE ROCKWELL COLLINS AWARDS JET AVIATION FOR DELIVERY OF 10 VIP AIRCRAFT Rockwell Collins recognized Jet Aviation Basel for delivery of ten VIP aircraft equipped with its Venue™ cabin management and entertainment system during an award ceremony at EBACE 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Jet Aviation Basel has delivered five “green” completions, including an Airbus A340-600, A319, A320, BBJ and a BBJ2, and five Venue retrofits on a 747-400 and four BBJs. The award signifies the five-yearplus collaborative relationship between Jet Aviation and Rockwell Collins to install the state-of-the-art cabin system.
SATCOM DIRECT RECEIVES INITIAL STC FOR ITS HARDWARE INNOVATION
MARSHALL CONGRATULATES HONDA AIRCRAFT ON EASA AWARD
JET AVIATION LAUNCHES HONEYWELL AEROSPACE APU OVERHAUL FACILITY
Marshall Aircraft Sales congratulated Mr. Michimasa Fujino, founding president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, as the company formally accepted the keys to its newly European EASA certificated new HondaJet at the EBACE Show in Geneva. “As the Northern European dealership, we are very pleased to now have our own HondaJet demonstrator at our Birmingham base,” commented Howard Povey, head of Aircraft Sales, Northern Europe for Marshall.
Jet Aviation Basel has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to operate its new Honeywell Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Overhaul Facility for the GTCP36 Series. Honeywell presented their APU Overhaul Facility Certificate to Jet Aviation Basel at the EBACE Convention in Geneva. Jet Aviation Basel was appointed last year by Honeywell to establish an APU Overhaul Facility to help meet customer demand for Honeywell APU support in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
© 2016 UAS International Trip Support, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
The initial supplemental type certificate (STC) was received from the FAA allowing installation of the SD WiFi Hub on Citation CJ3 aircraft. Additional STCs are in progress for the Hub, the standalone router and wi-fi solution for small to mid-size aircraft and enhancement to the Satcom Direct Router (SDR) for larger aircraft. Introduced worldwide during the Aircraft Electronics Association Convention 2016, the SD WiFi Hub packs big technology into a small, easily-installed package.
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Adve
© 2016 UAS International Trip Support, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Introducing flightevolution™ The first component of UAS|evolution™, UAS’ new technology suite, flightevolution™ is a groundbreaking new way for pilots and dispatchers to plan even their most advanced missions. UAS’ new standalone flight planning and weather product is built using some of the most advanced flight planning and mapping platforms on the market. It will revolutionize the way you plan, see, file, and execute your flights. UAS flightevolution™ will be available on the web and for the iPhone and iPad. Users will be able to compute and file complex flight plans, visualize worldwide navigation data, view real-time and forecast weather, check fuel prices, find airport information, and track progress of their flight using high-definition moving map technology.
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Interested in learning more? Visit www.uas.aero/evolution
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QUICK LANE FLIGHTSAFETY TO OFFER SATCOM DIRECT’S AEROIT CERTIFICATION TRAINING Firms ink agreement to add world’s first IT certification course for aviation professionals to FlightSafety training offerings. In an expansion of their existing partnership, FlightSafety International now will offer Satcom Direct’s AeroIT certification preparation course. AeroIT is the world’s first information technology certification for aviation and equips aircraft technicians, maintenance, IT personnel and crew with vital knowledge of today’s sophisticated airborne communications systems.
AVIDYNE RECEIVES EASA APPROVAL FOR IFD540 & IFD440 GPS FMS SYSTEMS
EPIC FUELS SUPPORTS ALASKA AIRLINES, GEVO EFFORTS ON BIOFUELS FLIGHTS
Avidyne Corporation has announced that they have received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for their IFD540 and IFD440 GPS-based Flight Management Systems. “The IFD440 and IFD540 have been incredibly popular in the US and in many of the N-registered aircraft based in Europe, and this EASA approval now opens the flood gate for the huge number of pilots flying European-registered aircraft, giving them access to the latest and the best GPS navigator in all of general aviation,” said Avidyne’s President & CEO Dan Schwinn.
EPIC Fuels, a leading fuel supplier to the general and commercial aviation industries, provided expertise in fuel blending as well as technical and logistical support to Alaska and Gevo, Inc., a next generation biofuels company, to enable the firstever commercial flights using a unique blend of petroleum based fuel and Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ). After blending traditional jet fuel with Gevo’s patented ATJ, the 20 percent fuel mix was rigorously tested at an ASTM-approved laboratory. The results met the required specifications for ASTM 1655 jet fuel and were cleared for use on two Boeing 737’s in Alaska’s fleet.
WEST STAR AWARDED THEIR FIRST SPIRIT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD West Star Aviation received their first Spirit of Economic Development award, on June 1, 2016. The award was presented to Bob Rasberry, CEO of West Star Aviation at the event held at Colorado Mesa University. The Spirit of Economic Development Award is given to a business or organization that has demonstrated a strong sense of community awareness and involvement while seeking opportunities to enhance the economic growth of Colorado’s Grand Valley.
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All of these names have one name in common. AgustaWestland • Airbus • Airbus Helicopters • Bell • Boeing • Bombardier • Cessna Dassault • Embraer • GE • Gulfstream • Hawker Beechcraft • Honeywell MD Helicopters • Pratt & Whitney • Robinson Rolls Royce • Sikorsky • Williams
Lower Maintenance Costs • Higher Residual Value • Global Support JSSI ® is the leading provider of hourly cost maintenance programs covering virtually all makes and models of business aircraft, engines and APUs, including helicopters. jetsupport.com/gettoknowus • +1.312.644.8810 • +44.1252.52.6588 • Visit us at LABACE Booth #3002
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QUICK LANE DUNCAN MAKES TURBINE ENGINE SERVICES EASIER SOUTH OF THE BORDER
In a move to meet the growing needs of business aircraft operators in Mexico, Duncan Aviation has made a significant investment to stage critical tooling and turbine engine support equipment there to ensure the quickest response to the most common and urgent requests from Business Aviation operators. “Business aircraft operators in Mexico are looking for more options for quick AOG engine support,” says Duncan Aviation Regional Manager in Mexico Rodolfo Rodriguez Zapata.
JET AVIATION VNUKOVO RECEIVES FAA APPROVAL FOR N-REGISTERED AIRCRAFT
AIR SERVICE BASEL HOSTS RECORD TRAFFIC DURING ART BASEL 2016 Air Service Basel’s FBO at the EuroAirport hosted record traffic of over 380 movements during this year’s ART BASEL exhibition, which took place in Basel from 13th-19th June 2016. With over 80 private and business jet flights on the peak day of the event, it has accommodated over 750 clients for the Basel event. Altogether, there was an increase of 10 percent compared to the previous year. The majority of movements included long-range and large cabin size business jets.
Jet Aviation Moscow Vnukovo has received repair station approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following a recent audit at the MRO facility. FAA approval authorizes the company to support aircraft registered in the United States. With this FAA approval, Jet Aviation Moscow Vnukovo is able to provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, airframe and engine repairs, avionics modifications, inspections and defect rectifications on US-registered aircraft.
StandardAero AUGUSTA DELIVERS FIRST ROCKWELL COLLINS PRO LINE 4
FLIGHTSAFETY’S A320 SIMULATOR BUILT FOR WISESOFT QUALIFIED TO LEVEL D
StandardAero’s Augusta, Georgia MRO facility delivered its first Falcon 50EX Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 integrated cockpit avionics upgrade in early June. By establishing this capability in Augusta, the company is now able to complete the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 modifications at two facilities, including its Springfield, Illinois location. The first installation in Augusta represents the company’s overall 17th Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 delivery. Augusta’s second Falcon 50EX Pro Line 4 to Pro Line 21 aircraft is already in the shop undergoing the modification.
FlightSafety International announces that the third Airbus A320 full flight simulator built for Wisesoft Corporation has received Level D qualification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. FlightSafety is building a fourth Airbus A320 for Wisesoft that will be delivered at the end of 2016. The simulator is installed at the CAAC Shanghai Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Center in support of COMAC flight development and test pilot training. This is the first FlightSafety FS1000 Airbus 320 simulator equipped with interchangeable aircraft avionics and customized flight test training capabilities.
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rolls-royce.com
Nobody does it like CorporateCareŽ Bringing you the most comprehensive and sought after business jet engine maintenance program in the world, with industry leading service and expertise provided by the original manufacturer. Regardless of where you travel, CorporateCare will be there to support you. To help maximize your assets availability, value and liquidity, Rolls-Royce is proud to offer CorporateCare. To find out more contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email corporate.care@rolls-royce.com.
Trusted to deliver excellence.
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QUICK LANE CESSNA MARKS ANOTHER PROGRAM MILESTONE, POWERS ON THE FIRST CITATION LONGITUDE
Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., announced it has powered the electrical distribution system on the revolutionary Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize jet, completing the next major step in the aircraft’s path to accomplish first flight this summer. This milestone occurs just three weeks after the company successfully mated the wing and fuselage of the first Longitude in May. “We continue to meet our milestones through an industry-leading development schedule in order to get the Longitude into the hands of our customers,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO, Textron Aviation.
JET AVIATION RECEIVES GOLD SAFETY OF FLIGHT AWARD FROM EBAA
ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER REVEALS NEW ACJ350 VVIP COMPLETION DESIGNS Associated Air Center (AAC), StandardAero’s Large Transport Category, VIP Aircraft Completions Center in Dallas, Texas, has revealed some of its most exclusive interior design concepts for ACJ350 VVIP completions while the company is actively bidding for new wide-body completion contracts with new customers. The designs, which are rarely shared publicly by AAC, include three-dimensional renderings of different views of the aircraft’s dining room and lounge and master bedroom and bathroom. All of the new designs were curated by AAC’s in-house design team, using the finest textiles and finishes.
Jet Aviation’s outstanding flight safety record was commended by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) during a ceremony at the EBACE Convention in Geneva, where EBAA presented Jet Aviation the 2016 EBAA Gold Safety of Flight Award. With approximately 100 guests in attendance, EBAA President Brian Humphries presented Safety of Flight awards to member companies operating business aircraft without accident in four categories.
NETJETS EUROPE PARTNERS WITH THE LONDON HELIPORT NetJets Europe has unveiled a key investment in the London private aviation market, through a partnership with The London Heliport. The Heliport will be known as NetJets London Heliport and will feature extensive branding for both NetJets and its sister company, Executive Jet Management Europe (EJME), within the building and around the landing site. President of NetJets Europe Mark Wilson commented: “London is the very core of NetJets’ European business, so to cement our presence in the city with this partnership allows us to educate new audiences on the benefits of fractional jet ownership.”
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ON THE MOVE PEOPLE Business Aviation and trip support services industry veteran Tim Maystrik has joined Universal Weather and Aviation Inc. as senior vice president, Business Development. “I’ve known Tim for more than three decades and he always was a respected competitor,” said Universal Chief Executive Officer Ralph Vasami. “He will bring a unique way of looking at things to Universal. I’m looking forward to combining Tim’s knowledge and expertise with our global resources to enable us to better support our customers and the industry.”
Star Aviation. He is now working with Chief Executive Officer Bob Rasberry to continue with West Star’s growth. “We have been lucky to have Rodger. He has been an effective leader in his role as COO for three years and I am confident he will excel in his new position as president. He will be working with more of our strategic initiatives while still handling operations during our robust growth,” said CEO Rasberry. Universal Avionics has announced that Carey Miller has been appointed to the newly created position for director, Corporate Programs and Business Development. In his new role, Mr. Miller will oversee
the marketing and sales organization for Government Systems, as well as overall strategy development. In addition, Haselhorst will continue with site leadership responsibilities for the company’s Richardson, Texas, facility. He reports to Executive Vice President Phil Jasper. Duncan A v i a t i o n also announced that Ed Reeve, III, has accepted the position of manager of Duncan Aviation’s St. Louis satellite avionics facility at the Chesterfield Airport in Missouri. In addition to growing the shop, Reeve plans to continue to provide customer support, install Wi-Fi and
Tim Maystrik
Carey Miller
Ed Reeve, III
West Star Aviation recently promoted their Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rodger Renaud to president of West
the activities of the Corporate Program Management team. In addition, he will continue his responsibilities for strategic business development and serving as one of the company aircraft pilots. Beginning his career with Universal Avionics in 2009, Mr. Miller has been in the avionics industry for 18 years. Meanwhile, Brad Haselhorst from Rockwell Collins has been promoted to vice president, Strategy and Business Development for the company’s Government Systems business. He succeeds Dave Nieuwsma, who was appointed to head the company’s Information Management Services business. Haselhorst’s responsibilities include leading
install/upgrade avionics systems to comply with the ADS-B mandate prior to 2020. Until recently, Jeff Aman has been the manager of both the Duncan Aviation Kansas City and St. Louis Satellite shops. He will remain manager of the Kansas City shop. Now both Aman and Reeve will be able to focus on the ever-growing customer bases on their respective sides of the state. There is also big news from Comlux The Aviation G r o u p , announcing the appointment of D o m i n g o Ureña Raso as a new member of the Comlux Group Board of Directors. His deep knowledge of the military aviation world is very valuable to the develop-
Rodger Renaud
ment of Comlux in several aviation applications combining both military and VIP transport. Domingo Ureña Raso says: “As I am residing in Spain, I will work also with Comlux España to develop our presence in the Iberian market and to acquire new VIP clients in the region.” RUAG has appointed David Ricklin as new general manager at the company’s Business Aviation maintenance and FBO facility in Geneva, Switzerland. “With this appointment, our partners will continue to benefit from RUAG Aviation’s proven reliability and collaborative approach with emphasis on full transparency, quality and trust. He has demonstrated great leadership ability with a strong commitment to customer needs,” states Volker Wallrodt, senior vice president Business Jets, Do228 & Components RUAG Aviation. Moving on to C o n s t a n t Aviation, LLC, a directional aviation capital company offering full-service maintenance, repair, and overhaul with a nationwide network, it has bolstered its sales team with the addition of Jeremy Snider as the Gulfstream Fleet Sales Manager. Jeremy will cover the entire US territory and beyond, focusing solely on Gulfstream products. He will work to build lasting relationships with Gulfstream owners and operators in an effort to increase our share hold in the market. Esterline Corporation, meanwhile, has announced the appointment of Michel Potvin to the position of president of its Avionics Systems business group, which includes Esterline’s CMC Electronics product brand and the newly acquired Simulation Visual Systems capability. Esterline CEO Curtis Reusser said: “Michel knows how to advance our sales and business development efforts across the corporation, and he is well versed on our overall strategy.”
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QUICK LANE HONDAJET RECEIVES CERTIFICATION IN EUROPE
The HondaJet has received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Honda Aircraft Company announced the achievement during a press conference at EBACE. Steven Higgins, EASA Section Manager for High Performance Aircraft and Turboprops, presented the type certificate for the HA-420 HondaJet to Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. "This certification signifies the HondaJet meets the highest European safety standards," said Fujino.
COMLUX AMERICA WELCOMES 12th VIP INTERIOR COMPLETION
Comlux America LLC, the Completion and Service Center based in Indianapolis IN, signed their 12th VIP interior completion for a BBJ 737-700IGW aircraft. The aircraft officially input into the Indianapolis facility in January and is scheduled to take approximately 14 months to complete including exterior paint. This Boeing Business Jet completion is for a private customer based in the Far East. The VIP interior of the BBJ features a large First Class area along with a separate Dining Area and Master Suite.
A FIVE-STAR RESIDENCE FOR YOUR JET at Geneva International Airport A global service solution for business aviation • Hangar for short, mid & long term stopovers • Large range of services for aircraft & crews • Easy booking system on mobile application
BELL HELICOPTER STRENGTHENS BRAND IN THE AMERICAS
Bell Helicopter has announced a name change and rebranding of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Edwards Rotorcraft Solutions Inc., strengthening the Bell Helicopter brand in the Americas. This Bell Helicopter operation is the company's regional maintenance repair and overhaul facility, located in South Florida. It was established in June 2007 to provide rotorcraft service, support and complete helicopter refurbishments and provides services for federal, state, parapublic, helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), oil and gas, off-shore, private and corporate customers.
NEW PIPER SERVICE CENTER AT EGGEMOEN, NORWAY
Danish-Norwegian aviation company Air Service Vamdrup with workshop facilities in Vamdrup, Denmark, and at Eggemoen, Norway, has been appointed as an Authorized Piper Service Center in Norway. The appointment means better service to Northern European and especially Norwegian Piper aircraft owners. The appointment means that the company is now closer to the US aircraft manufacturer Piper and may now perform warranty work on Piper aircraft.
+41 (0)22 939 16 00 - www.geneva-airpark.ch
NEW UNIVERSAL AVIONICS FMS SOFTWARE OFFERS SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS Universal Avionics is offering a new software version for the Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)-Flight Management System (FMS) that includes cost-saving messaging to alert crews of a failure of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADSB) Out system. The FAA has made it very clear that ADS–B Out failure annunciations in the flight deck are required for Part 23 and Part 25 aircraft. With FMS Software Control Number (SCN) 1001.1/1101.1/1101.1M, operators are offered significant savings versus standalone cockpit panel annunciators and Digital Discrete Adapters (DDA).
EMBRAER'S LEGACY 500 MAKES DEBUT AT FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW
Embraer announced that the Legacy 500, its new midsize business jet, makes its debut at Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom 11-17 July. Embraer's first aircraft with full fly-by-wire technology is among the aircraft on static display along with the company's other products. The Legacy 500 is the latest aircraft approved to operate at London City Airport. It features the largest cabin in its class and became the first in its category to replace conventional controls with digital flight controls.
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TRANSATLANTIC EUROPE ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH
From the Desk of Fabio Gamba EBAA CEO BUSINESS AVIATION IS SET TO BENEFIT FROM SINGLE ENGINE TURBINES IN EUROPE INNOVATIVE DESIGNS AND TECHNOLOGY can open up new market opportunities through access to lower cost, more efficient products – so long as regulations are modernized in step so as not to shut the door on innovation. This is precisely the case with the promise of cleaner, more efficient, cutting-edge single engine turbine aircraft for commercial operations in Europe. Thankfully, regulators are seeing the light, due in large part to the great work done by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Ironically, two of the most successful manufacturers of single engine turbine aircraft designed for commercial operations, Pilatus and Daher-Socata, are based in Europe, where this is by-andlarge not permitted. This is why EASA’s recent positive opinion on single engine turbine for commercial operations in instrument meteorological conditions (CAT SET-IMC) is so important. EASA is expected to brief EU member states this month on its proposal, which is planned for release in 2017 – if lingering objections can be overcome. Risk-based Approach The US has authorized this type of aircraft for commercial operations for decades, where hundreds of single engine turbines are used commercially
and the situation is equally favorable in Canada and Australia. In Europe, the trend toward single engine operations for non-commercial purposes should translate into significant demand for commercial operations, if the regulatory hurdles can be lifted. Just look at the 16 percent annual average growth figures for two of the most successful single engine aircraft, the Pilatus PC-12 and Socata TBM 850, in the face of a generally horizontal market for business aircraft since 2008. The main issue to overcome is that of safety concerns, but EASA’s commercial SET-IMC proposal, NPA 2014-18, released in July 2015, comprehensively addresses these, along with putting forward a risk-based approach. In formulating the proposal, the agency analyzed over 24 million hours of singleengine turbine flight data, which points to safety rates that are in line with those of other aircraft, such as twinturboprops, currently used for commercial operations in Europe. In terms of risk mitigation measures, these call for substantial flight planning for SET-IMC operations to ensure that, along the entire route, in the event of loss of engine power, the aircraft could safely glide to the ground.
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/EUROPE
The ICAO standards and recommended practices related to CAT SET-IMC operations (Amendment 29 to ICAO Annex 60) have been in effect since 2005. However, as they have not been adopted in Europe, this puts the European regulatory framework out of step with ICAO standards and other major markets like the US, Canada and Australia. Manifold Benefits From an environmental standpoint, there is also a strong argument in favor of SET aircraft, which have a more favorable footprint than a typical aircooled piston engine. Thus, bringing in single-engine turbine aircraft operations to replace older twin-engine piston aircraft would lead to better overall fuel consumption levels and environmental impact for the sector. One of the main advantages of the single-engine turboprop is that it can offer air services to remote regions and cities with small airfields that are just not accessible by other means. If you take into account various performance and operating cost considerations, there are many low-density routes in Europe that could be operated safely and more efficiently by single-engine turbine aircraft. Opening up these routes would improve the mobility, quality of life and economic prospects of people living in remote areas. France and Finland already have exemptions for some commercial operations of the Pilatus PC-12 and Socata TBM 850 and authorizing CAT SET-IMC across Europe could certainly give the industry a needed boost. Not only could it be a boon for European aircraft manufacturers, it would also stimulate commercial opportunities through the opening of new routes and types of operations, particularly for corporate charters and shuttles as well as for airfreight. Our industry is ready to harness the benefits of commercial SET operations in Europe – now we just have to make sure national regulators understand the virtues of this low risk, high value proposition.
ALT
You asked. We acted. In the mid-1980s, new surplus aircraft parts were abundant throughout the industry. As business flight missions changed, operators would switch aircraft, leaving spare parts for their former aircraft taking up valuable storage space. Then Duncan Aviation president Robert Duncan heard operators comment about this waste of money and resources. In 1984, he acted and formed the Aviation Parts and Communications division (AVPAC), which gave operators a way to consolidate their inventories and consign those parts worldwide. More than 30 years later, Duncan Aviation still provides operators with parts and rotables services that include consignment, parts location and 24/7/365 AOG services. And we still listen to customer wishes and respond by developing and providing experience, unlike any other.
www.DuncanAviation.aero/60
✈
Experience. Unlike any other.
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TRANSATLANTIC U.S.A. ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH EBACE DEMONSTRATES IMPORTANCE OF ONGOING COLLABORATION BETWEEN ASSOCIATIONS
From the Desk of Ed Bolen NBAA President and CEO
IN ADDITION TO ITS TRADITIONAL ROLE as Europe's most significant Business Aviation event, the recently-concluded 2016 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2016) also provided a welcome opportunity to highlight some of the many collaborative efforts underway between the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and NBAA. Held 24-26 May in Geneva, EBACE2016 was an unquestionably successful event, with
more than 450 exhibitors from more than 40 countries. Attendees traveled to the show from more than 100 countries throughout the European region and beyond. Exhibitors and attendees repeatedly expressed that the show continues to be a must-attend on the industry calendar. In addition to work by our respective associations to foster the industry's growth in the regions we represent, this
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MAINTENANCE
AVIONICS
INTERIOR
PAINT
collaboration through EBACE also illustrates how NBAA and EBAA come together on a variety of policy concerns at the forefront of our shared aviation community and how that is reflective of our continuing work together on policies that mutually benefit the industry on a global scale. For example, our collaborative efforts through the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) on aircraft emissions policies for Business Aviation has emphasized our commitment to improve our industry's already very small contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, a core tenet of our position in the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) greater debate on the matter. Another issue that we have mutually worked on is the elimination of an onerous and longstanding requirement by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for security waivers affecting the intra-US segments of non-USregistered aircraft. In the past year, our continuing efforts with TSA have led to the elimination of that requirement, out of recognition that the US government already receives sufficient security information about business aircraft before they arrive in the country. I would also point to the joint effort that NBAA and EBAA successfully made, again with IBAC, to get a favorable opinion from the World Customs Organization and the European Commission on regulations covering the temporary admissions policy for business aircraft that may only be in a European location briefly. Working together, we have ensured that those regulations differ from policies applying to the airlines, out of recognition regarding the unique operating models in our industry and the implications of that for customs and importation duties. Make no mistake: NBAA and EBAA are more than trade-show partners and co-sponsors of EBACE. Our associations present a united front against a variety of challenges that threaten our industry, whether speaking of the US, Europe or other points around the globe. These challenges continue to underscore the significance of our combined efforts to respond to these uncertainties. For these reasons and many more, NBAA is actively involved with EBAA on a variety of policies affecting Business Aviation in Europe. The shared conversation hosted throughout EBACE helps exemplify our associations' work to advocate for the industry on those issues all year long.
✈
EXPERIENCE E V O L V E D Experience is the foundation of West Star Aviation. Not just technical experience, but your experience when you choose West Star. Only by constantly evolving both sides of experience, ours and yours, can we be sure to deliver the world-class aviation services you expect. Continuous innovation and investment in technical capabilities is critical. This allows us to deliver solutions for the most sophisticated airframes flying today, on time and on budget, with minimal surprises. Experience has also taught us to keep a sharp focus on personalized service, to ensure your expectations are exceeded at every turn.
Come see how the West Star Experience has evolved for yourself. No matter which location you visit, rest assured, you’ll see how our Experience Shines.
Where Experience Shines
®
Falcon l Citation l Gulfstream l Learjet ®
Hawker l Challenger l Global Express Embraer l King Air l Conquest l Piaggio
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JETNET RELEASES 1Q16 EMBRAER PRE-OWNED AIRCRAFT RELEASES 1Q16 MARKET DATA RESULTS
CAE REPORTS FULL FISCAL YEAR 2016 RESULTS
JETNET LLC, THE LEADING PROVIDER of corporate aviation and commercial aviation intelligence, has released first quarter 2016 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop, helicopter, and commercial airliner markets. Business jets showed the largest increase in the for-sale numbers, with 155 (6.8%) more jets at the end of the first quarter of 2016 compared to 2015. Turbine helicopters increased by 122 (9.1%) and business turboprops by 109 (9.5%) in for-sale numbers. Across all aircraft sectors, there were 6,657 (5.4%) more aircraft for sale in the first quarter of 2016 compared to 2015. This is the first increase in the number of business jets for sale since 2009. Accordingly, Fleet For Sale Percentages for business jets, business turboprops, and commercial turboprops are showing the largest increases of all market sectors in the quarterly comparison, at 11.7% (up .4 pt.), 8.5% (up .6 pt.), and 6.2% (up 1.0 pt.), respectively. Business turboprops showed a decrease of 12.1% in sale transactions, with a 9.1 % decrease in asking price, and are selling in less time (30 days). Turbine and piston helicopters saw declines in sale transactions in the first quarter comparisons, at 19.8% and 19.0%. While pre-owned business jets saw an increase of 23 (4.4%) full sale transactions, new business jet deliveries decreased by 6 business jets (4.7%) -122 deliveries in the first quarter of 2016 compared to 128 in the first quarter 2015. In total, there were 23 (4.4%) more business jet transactions in the first quarter of 2016 than the first quarter of 2015.
CAE HAS REPORTED REVENUE of $722.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016, representing 14 percent growth from the fourth quarter last year. Fourth quarter net income attributable to equity holders from continuing operations was $61.2 million ($0.23 per share) compared to $63.3 million ($0.24 per share) last year. Fourth quarter net income before specific items was $72.8 million, or $0.27 per share, representing an EPS increase of 13 percent over the same period last year. Specific items this quarter include restructuring costs of $11.6 million (net after-tax) related to CAE’s process improvement program. Annual fiscal 2016 revenue was $2.5 billion, representing 12 percent growth from the prior year. Annual net income attributable to equity holders of the company from continuing operations was $239.3 million ($0.89 per share). Annual net income before specific items was $230.5 million, or $0.86 per share, representing an EPS increase of 13 percent over last year. Specific items for the year include restructuring costs of $20.6 million (net after-tax) for the process improvement program as well as a one-time tax item of $29.4 million. All financial information is in Canadian dollars.
$
EMBRAER DELIVERED a total of 21 commercial and 23 executive aircraft (12 light jets and 11 large jets) in 1Q16, compared to a total of 20 commercial and 12 executive aircraft (10 light jets and 2 large jets) in 1Q15. Revenues in 1Q16 totaled US$ 1,309.0 million, representing an increase of 24 percent versus 1Q15, due largely to higher deliveries in the executive jets and commercial aviation segment, somewhat offset by revenue declines in the defense & security and other businesses segments. Gross margin declined from 23.7 percent in 1Q15 to 20.0 percent in 1Q16, largely as a result of lower profitability in the executive jets segment. Net income attributable to Embraer and earnings per basic ADS for 1Q16 were US$ 103.9 million and US$ 0.5690, respectively. Net margin was 7.9 percent in the quarter compared to negative 5.8 percent in 1Q15, principally due to an income tax gain of US$ 32.1 million in 1Q16 versus income tax expense of US$ (118.0) million in 1Q15. The decrease in income tax expense is mainly the result of foreign exchange variation from the beginning to the end of 1Q16, in which the Real appreciated 9 percent versus the US dollar.
$
$
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Stay as connected in the air as you are on the ground. The world doesn’t stop just because you’re airborne. Rockwell Collins’ ARINCDirectSM cabin connectivity services keep your passengers connected to it. We offer a breadth of phone, fax and data services from Inmarsat, ViaSat Mobile Broadband, Iridium® – and Jet ConneX, the fastest mobile solution in the industry. Everyone in the cabin can stay in touch, or stay entertained, with the fastest broadband connection available at every altitude. Learn more at rockwellcollins.com/arincdirect
Visit us at LABACE 2016 – Rockwell Collins booth 2014
© 2016 Rockwell Collins. All rights reserved.
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LABACE PREVIEW
LABACE 2016 UPBEAT, DESPITE TOUGH TIMES
Although facing economic challenges, Business Aviation will still create buzz at this year’s LABACE, Kirby Harrison reports reaffirming our long-term vision and with a strong commitment to the local market.” The São José dos Campos-based business division also plans to use the LABACE stage to promote its service center and FBO at Bertram Luiz Leupolz Airport in Sorocaba, as well as to “expand services across the country.” Embraer Executive Jets was launched in 2005 and last year realized its goal of becoming “a major player” with a stable of six business jets, from the Phenom 100E light jet to the super-large cabin Lineage 1000. A spokesman said Embraer expects to have a footprint at LABACE 2016 similar to that of last year, but has yet to decide which aircraft will be on static display.
T
HOME
Brazilian OEM Embraer will be among the LABACE exhibitors. Phenom E (center).
he attitude among exhibitors and organizers at the upcoming 13th Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE) remains decidedly upbeat, despite a deepening economic recession that is shaking the Business Aviation industry in Brazil. “The partnership between the event management and the participating companies becomes clear and more robust with each edition of LABACE,” according to show organizer Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (Brazilian Association of General Aviation, ABAG). “LABACE 2016 will be no different [and] planning is dedicated to a clear objective: keeping LABACE as the major point of integration between companies and clients.” In recent years, ABAG has put into place more selective requirements for those attending LABACE. While this may reduce the total numbers, at the same time those who do enter the show are more likely to be visitors who generate business.
Brazilian OEM Embraer has exhibited at all 12 previous LABACE shows. It is the acknowledged “home team” at this 13th edition and remains a strong supporter of the annual event. “We expect LABACE 2016 will be a great opportunity for us to present our products, services, and to expose our brand,” said a spokesman for Embraer Executive Jets. “We will attend the event with the purpose of
Gulfstream has more than 40 aircraft based in Brazil, making it the second largest market in Latin America for Gulfstream aircraft. At LABACE 2016, the Savannah, Georgia-based OEM will have on the static display a G280, G550 and its flagship G650ER, extended range, large-cabin jet. The company describes LABACE as a key event in the company’s world-
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wide marketing strategy, providing an ideal opportunity to show customers Gulfstream’s aircraft side-by-side in a central location. “It’s important for potential clients to experience the various Gulfstream aircraft first-hand. To see the quality and craftsmanship, the technological advances in the flight deck and the tremendous capabilities of our cabins is of utmost importance. As the saying goes ‘Seeing is believing.’” “All in all,” said a spokesman, “airshows like LABACE offer clients an opportunity to have the Gulfstream experience right there in São Paulo.
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As part of its commitment to Latin America, Bombardier has a regional support office in São Paulo, as well as maintenance support from Brazilian authorized service facilities at Belo Horizonte, Campinas and São Paulo (Congonhas Airport). There is a fleet of 13 Falcon 7X business jets in service in Brazil and Dassault Falcon Jet President and CEO John Rosanvallon anticipates a strong market for the French OEM’s new Falcon 8X. The 8X completed its world tour on April 25 with a non-stop final leg from São Paulo to Paris. The demo tour covered 55,000 nautical miles over the course of more than 60
MARKETPLACE
Bombardier is a long-time exhibitor at LABACE with a fleet of 142 aircraft in Brazil, of which 120 are of the Learjet family, and most recently, the region’s best-selling aircraft have been the Challenger 350 and Global 6000. The Canadian OEM stated: “In the long term, we remain confident regarding demand from Brazil and Latin America, which is the third largest market for business jets.”
flights. Three of the first 25 orders for the 8X are for Brazilian customers and delivery of all three is expected by the end of the year. Rosanvallon added that as for this year’s LABACE: “I don’t think anyone is going to take a pass.” Cessna Aircraft, under the Textron Aviation umbrella, is exhibiting at LABACE with longtime channel partner TAM Aviação Executiva. A spokesman for Cessna said the
Wichita, Kans.-based OEM is still in the process of defining its exhibit and the aircraft to appear on the static display. LABACE will be Duncan Aviation’s third show. According to Aviation Regional Manager for Latin America Allan Orsi, the event “has a large base of attendees, so it is a great place to introduce ourselves to a large number of operators in a short period.”
Major OEMs will participate at LABACE: Global 6000 (top L), Duncan's Allan Orsi (top R), Falcon 8X (center), Cessna will be represented by long-time partner TAM. Gulfstream has more than 40 a/c based in Brazil.
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LABACE PREVIEW
PRESENCE
Tony Gilbert, JSSI VP Business Development South America. HondaJet (left). Pilatus PC 12 NG (right).
He also noted that Duncan Aviation has an active Latin America Customer Advisory Board to give clients in the region an opportunity to meet with Duncan’s senior management team members. “As a result of some of these meetings, Duncan Aviation has partnered with some local companies that complement the capabilities of Duncan Aviation in the US.” Honda Aircraft Company plans to share a space at LABACE with Brazilian service provider Líder Aviação as a stage for its new HondaJet. And Swiss OEM Pilatus will be promoting its single-engine turboprop PC-12 next-generation as well as its new $8.9 million PC-24 light jet, scheduled for certification in 2017. Helicopter Boom Going Bust? Helicopters have long represented a substantial part of the Business and Private Aviation industry in Brazil. According to the Associação Brasileira de Pilotos de Helicóptero (Association of Brazilian Helicopter
Pilots, ABRAPHE), the total fleet size doubled in size from 547 to 1,100 from 1996 to 2008 and has nearly doubled again from 2008 to 2013. The association said the last study of the helicopter fleet in and São Paulo was for 2012 and there were 411 helicopters and approximately 2,000 takeoffs and landings per day. On the other hand, in the present, things are not so rosy, according to ABRAPHE. The association has watched an economy in crisis as it takes a toll on the helicopter industry in Brazil. “The
The association’s membership is well represented at LABACE, as are Brazilian helicopter services providers and operators. “While the current recession in Brazil is threatening to slow this trend,” according to the US-based Helicopter Association International, “the Brazilian industry is resilient and it will bounce back quickly,” said a spokesman. Textron Aviation’s Bell Helicopter, a long-time exhibitor at LABACE with two authorized customer service facilities in Brazil, has said it has 35 letters of intent from Brazilian customers.
economic and political crisis also affected the helicopter industry,” said a spokesman and added: “especially in the oil and gas segment.” As a result, ABRAPHE estimates a 30 percent reduction in operations in the first four months of 2016, compared with the same period in 2015.
The contraction of the helicopter industry was in response to the recession, as well as the accompanying collapse of five years of dramatic growth in oil exploration that was followed by the dramatic fall in oil prices and virtual shutdown on work at the new offshore oil fields.
LABACE 2016 PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE This year’s LABACE will kick off on Thursday, August 24, with a press conference. The venue is still to be announced. While a schedule of individual informational sessions is not yet available, the official opening is set for the following Tuesday, August 30 with a 10:30 am ribbon cutting ceremony. Following the opening General Session, the exhibit hall and the aircraft static display line will open at 12 noon and close at 8 pm amid numerous music and social gatherings. Wednesday, August 31, will be devoted primarily to informational sessions from 8 am to 7 pm, as well as access to the exhibit hall and aircraft static display. Thursday, September 1 is the final day. Information sessions will run from 8 am to 7 pm. The exhibit hall and static display will be open from 12 noon until 7 pm. The closing on Thursday will be followed by a breakdown of exhibits and staging of aircraft for departure.
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In an article appearing in Bloomberg Online in April, reporters Christina Sciaudone and Thomas Beck quoted charter operator Helimarte Táxi Aéreo Sales Manager Rafael Dylis who noted: “Nobody is spending money [and] everybody who needs to save money saves on our service.” Also appearing as an exhibitor at LABACE is Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), a leading US-based provider of hourly-cost maintenance programs for Business Aviation. The company is a new member of ABRAPHE. Brazil has a growing helicopter market and São Paulo is even recognized as the world capital of helicopters,” said Tony Gilbert, JSSI vice president for Business Development in South America. “We see a great opportunity here.” In affiliation with ABRAPHE, JSSI presented a seminar last year at the Heli Park Training Center, just outside São Paulo.
Meanwhile, getting aircraft to the static display after landing at Congonhas has its own challenge. Adonis Bastas, Universal Weather & Aviation team supervisor of Operations Coordination in Brazil, warned those planning to exhibit an aircraft at LABACE that a specific permit is necessary which requires several days on the ground at Congonhas Airport. “Exhibitors should plan in advance,” he advised. As for leaving Congonhas, he noted: “It is not a big problem, but you should still plan it ahead for customs clearance.” If LABACE attendance and exhibitors are weather vanes, it would appear LABACE is in decline. Attendance, for example, has gone steadily downhill
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UBERCOPTER AND CABFLY TO OFFER HELICOPTER AIR TAXI IN SÃO PAULO LABACE can point to good news from the São Paulo helicopter community. Long acknowledged as the helicopter capital of the world, with some more than 450 helicopters in service at its peak and roughly 400 helipads, the city now has an Ubercopter, a helicopter air taxi service. The operator is the same entity that launched the ubiquitous Uber ground taxi and began testing of the concept in an aerial form in São Paulo in June and in partnership with manufacturer Airbus Helicopters, using three rotorcraft serving airports hotels and convention centers. Meanwhile, Spanish ground taxi provider Cabify has announced it intends to begin offering a similar helicopter taxi service. The new CabiFLY was launched in Mexico City in October 2015 and will open in São Paulo by the end of 2016.
since an all-time high of 16,722 in 2013 to slightly under 10,000 in 2015. Further, the number of aircraft in the static display has gone from 70 in 2012 to 50 in 2016. And as of mid-June, total LABACE 2016 exhibitor space in the main hall was 1,097.7 square meters, with 298 square meters remaining. While there is sufficient bad news to warrant caution with the organizer, there is among the exhibitors an understandably positive outlook, particularly in the mid- to long-term. Discussing its presence at LABACE, a Bombardier spokesman emphasized the importance of the show, noting: “While Latin America remains a growing market, Brazil is a more established market that received about 125
aircraft from the Business Aviation industry in the last five years.” This, he added, “exemplifies the importance of Brazil for the business jet aviation industry in Latin America [and] we expect Brazil to remain a key market in Latin America.” Embraer expressed a similar outlook. “We hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games will bring back the confidence that we need to gain better traction in our economy,” said a spokesman. “We understand that the business jet is a productivity tool and that there is also a challenge in finding a new model of business jet utilization that could boost demand by offering a new style of air transport.” “Some good ideas were impacted by the financial crisis [in Brazil]. Now it is time to revisit some business models and explore new alternatives for Business Aviation to connect even more people.” “LABACE is visited buy a great number of Latin American operators every year,” said Duncan Aviation’s Orsi. “We have exhibited there for several years and we believe that having a presence at the show is a great way to connect with existing customers and continue to build relationships as well as to meet new prospects and begin developing new contacts.”
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MODERN
São Paulo's Helicidade Heliporto (below) is one of the greatest heliports in Latin America.
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REGIONAL REPORT
BIZAV FEELING EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC MALAISE IN BRAZIL With Brazil mired in a
deep downturn, the 2016 Olympic Games is likely to be another missed opportunity for the bizav industry, Kirby Harrison anticipates
T LIMBO
Maracana is the official Olympic Stadium (center). Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (bottom) is facing impeachment.
he Brazilian economy is in trouble and that signals trouble for Business Aviation. The country’s current economic malaise began to take form several years ago as a slower-than-anticipated annual growth rate of 2.2 percent. In 2013, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians crowded the streets to protest a government decision to raise the cost of public transportation by 9 cents in an effort to defray the $15 billion cost of hosting the World Cup in 2014. The government quickly rescinded the hike, but the ill will remained. As the economy continues to tumble and the 2016 Summer Olympic nears, Brazilians have been again taking to the streets. This time in numbers estimated at three million.
Compounding the economic woes, protestors are demanding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff on charges of corruption. If that wasn’t enough, the lower house voted in April to begin impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, accusing her of accounting duplicity in an effort to hide the real size of the budget deficit. But not all the economic woes are attributable to government corruption. China had become a major exporter of raw materials from Brazil and when its own economy fell on hard times, those exports dwindled dramatically. And the problems were growing in January as containerized imports to Brazil fell 60 percent. Finally, the discovery of massive oil fields off the coast of Brazil signaled boom times ahead in what one analyst described as “the beginning of a new horizon for Brazil.” The stateowned oil giant Petrobras expected full production to begin in 2014. But then the price of oil began to fall, and fall, and fall. Brazil’s economic outlook is grim, and as a result, investors are pulling back and layoffs are becoming common as businesses seek to reduce costs. And like businesses in other industry segments, Business Aviation is feeling the squeeze. Selling Aircraft to Reduce Costs Marcos Furlan, a broker at aviation services provider C-Fly Aviation in São Paulo, noted that the economic
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and political issues are already affecting Business Aviation, in particular the sale of business aircraft. “Many companies are now trying to sell their aircraft in an effort to cut costs.” According to Francisco Lyra, a managing partner at C-Fly Aviation and partner in the new Catarina Aeroporto Executivo, many used aircraft are now on the market, some aviation companies have closed and others are letting workers go. “One in three companies is laying off people and there has been a definite reduction in flight hours,” he said. “Aviation has been one of the first industries to suffer from the economic problems.” There is minimal evidence that the economic and political atmosphere is resulting in a slight reduction in traffic at state-owned Sorocaba Airport. However in the first five months of 2014 at Sorocaba, there were 27,100 movements — 2,871 more than in the same period in 2015. According to Lyra, Brazil was experiencing a 3.2 percent reduction in Business Aviation traffic in 2014. “At LABACE [Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition] in August, the annual aviation report will be released by ABAG [Brazilian Association of General Aviation] and will likely reflect a 7 percent drop in Business Aviation traffic.” Smaller businesses with close ties to Business Aviation are also being hit by the sagging economy. Marcia’s Catering in São Paulo is one of these. She has let some members of her staff go despite a forecast but only temporary raise in demand for catering propelled by the pending Summer Olympics, August 5-21. “These people are family and it is very hard,” said Costa. Economic and Political Unrest Feed Off One Another Lyra explained that the country is facing both economic and political turmoil, and each feeds off the other. “A lack of confidence in the government means a lack of confidence in the economy,” he explained. In Brazil, Business Aviation has long been neglected by the government that has made it clear that commercial aviation comes first, in particular at the major airports such as Guarulhos International and Congonhas in São Paulo.
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There are several new Business Aviation airports, none of which are yet open. They are: Aerovale, near São Jose dos Campos; Aerodromo Harpia, not far from downtown São Paulo; and Catarina Aeroporto Executivo on the outskirts of São Roque, also near São Paulo. According to Lyra: “The Catarina airport is on track. We anticipate opening the basic runway in the fourth quarter 2016, as well as the FBO and two hangars.” With the exception of Airbus Corporate Jets and Boeing Business Jet, the major business jet manufacturers plan to exhibit at the upcoming LABACE trade show, regardless of economic and political unrest. Like other OEMs, Bombardier Aerospace was inclined to take a posi-
tive view of the market in Brazil. “Like its other emerging market counterparts, we expect Brazil to go through the same adjustments in the short term,” said Brad Nolan, director of product strategy and market development. “However, we expect that the replacement demand, coupled with better economic outlook and recovery in the commodity markets, will support strong demand in the medium and long term.” With an entire business jet fleet in Brazil now totaling to 142 aircraft, as of the fourth quarter 2015, Bombardier considers Brazil “an established market,” Nolan added. Bombardier was to exhibit at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in
Geneva, where it planned to release its annual Bombardier Business Aircraft 2016 Market Forecast. The forecast was expected to provide a more in-depth glimpse of the Brazilian Business Aviation market. Dassault Falcon Jet has plans to exhibit at LABACE and considers Brazil “a very important market.” With a fleet of 13 Falcon 7X business jets in service in Brazil, President and CEO John Rosanvallon also expects a strong market there for the new Falcon 8X. The big tri-jet is in the latter stages of certification and Dassault hopes to have it on the static display line at LABACE. “Out of the first 25 orders for the 8X, three are for customers in Brazil,” said Rosanvallon.
EXPERIENCE
Francisco Lyra of CFLY Aviation (top). LABACE 14 Sao Paulo’s Congonhas Airport.
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REGIONAL REPORT
INSIDERS
Bombardier’s Brad Nolan (top left), Dassault Falcon Jet CEO John Rosanvallon (top right), ABAG Director Ricardo Nogueira (bottom).
“The current economic and political situation in Brazil has had an impact on the business jet market [and] 2015 was a difficult year for everybody,” he declared. “The good news in this situation is that almost all our customers continue to operate their Falcons.” Dassault expects to deliver the first three Falcon 8Xs in Brazil in the last quarter 2016 and first quarter 2017. All three are going to current owners of a 7X, and Rosanvallon said there are also discussions with other 7X owners who also expect to upgrade. While the economic and political imbroglio is likely to get worse before it gets better and it most certainly will have a negative effect on Business Aviation, most of the OEMs are taking a longer and more positive view. “Brazil is a very important market,” said Rosanvallon. “As for this year’s LABACE, I don’t think anyone is going to take a pass.” Universal Weather & Aviation is one of the world’s top trip planning specialists and Operations Manager
Marcia Taue, with more than a decade of experience, is an expert on ground support coordination throughout Brazil. At this point, said Taue, Universal is not expecting problems related to the economic and political unrest in Brazil. “However, after the high level of activity expected for the Olympics, there will almost certainly be layoffs and changes in staffing in Brazil’s Business Aviation industry.”
Taue said Universal expects President Rousseff’s center-left Workers’ Party and the government will reach an agreement with protest organizers to avoid disruption of the Olympics games. The biggest challenge will come in obtaining landing slots at major airports. The government has yet to release slot availability for sponsors, heads of state and VIPs, but has said it will begin doing so in June — more than two months before the games begin. However, remembered Taue, prior to the World Cup they said the same thing, but availability was not announced until just a month prior to the first games. She also noted that prior to applying for a slot, all required permits for travel to Brazil must be obtained. National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) will accept revisions, but because the games will attract heavy traffic, permit processing time that is normally 48 hours may take up to seven days between now and the close of the games. ABAG Director Ricardo Nogueira was more concerned with the LABACE 2016 show. “Despite the economic uncertainty, the number of LABACE 2016 exhibitors is close to that in previous years and the 50 aircraft expected on the static display line is the same as at the 2015 show. “In recent years, the major aircraft manufacturers have been at LABACE and they will be here again this year,” declared Nogueira. Nevertheless, ABAG expects to take a new look at the dynamics of the show in late May. “Unfortunately, the economic crisis continues and experts say it has already contaminated the year 2017,” he concluded.
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BART-Int.indd 37 3900 BART International Full Page AD July/August 2016.indd 1
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BUSINESS AVIATION UK
BIG REACH FROM A LITTLE ISLAND
Bizav activity in the UK is not limited by national borders. British companies are envisaging a global footprint to enhance their reach, reports Volker K. Thomalla 2014 at 91,710 take-offs. The EBAA study shows that most of the UK Business Aviation flights were domestic, followed by flights to France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain. The study further counts 124 airports in the United Kingdom that are suitable for business aircraft. Needless to say, a lot of Business Aviation activity in the UK is concentrated in the area around London, followed by Manchester and Bristol, the economic centers of the country. In and around London are the UK’s busiest Business Aviation airports, including Luton, Stansted, Farnborough and London City. A Training Heavyweight The UK is a European heavyweight in terms of Business Aviation training, too. It has one of the largest installed full flight simulator fleet for business aircraft in Europe, attracting customers not only from the UK and
T
START OFF
Flightsafety International will offer training for the G650 in Farnborough starting in March 2017 (top). CAE's Burgess Hill Training Center in London.
he United Kingdom is one of the most important countries for Business Aviation in Europe. According to the recently published study from the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the UK is home to the second largest fleet of business aircraft in Europe, consisting of 597 aircraft. Amongst them are 16 bizliners, 169 heavy jets, 73 midsize jets, 148 light jets and 191 turboprop powered aircraft. Business Aviation in the UK accounts for 35,086 direct and indirect jobs. Of these jobs, 6,173 are in operations and at FBOs, while 1,431 are in MRO services. Gulfstream Aerospace has a large factory owned service center in Luton, while Textron Aviation operates a factory owned facility in Doncaster. In 2015, the United Kingdom saw no growth in Business Aviation departures, but it also didn’t see a decline either. The number of departures was stable compared to
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Europe, but from all parts of the world. FlightSafety International, for example, has a large facility in Farnborough, where it offers programs for several Beechcraft, Cessna Citation, Gulfstream and Hawker types, as well as training for the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. Burgess Hill, south of London, is home to another major aviation training provider. The CAE London Training Centre (Burgess Hill) houses 13 civil and business aircraft full flight simulators. CAE has recently added Bombardier Learjet 40, 45 and
45XR training and offers Global Express, Global 5000 and Global XRS training programs too. CAE Burgess Hill instructors train customers on the Dassault Falcon 900 EX EASy, Falcon 2000 EX EASy, and Falcon 7X business jets. The UK facility also plays an important role for Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, serving as the European base for Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 training as part of the Embraer CAE Training Services joint venture. Also worth mentioning here is the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy in Oxford, where thousands of pilots have earned their wings. Consolidation is the Trend There are more than 130 business aircraft operators in the UK, although this number is likely to decrease as the trend towards consolidation continues. For example, the 1996-founded London Executive Aviation (LEA), based at the Stapleford Airport in Essex, has been part of the Luxaviation Group since 2014. In March, LEA added an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Legacy 650 to its charter fleet of 24 aircraft, ranging from the entry-level Cessna Citation
to the Dassault Falcon 2000LX. As part of the Luxaviation Group, LEA can offer its customers access to more than 250 business aircraft worldwide. However, London Executive Aviation’s activities are far from being limited to the United Kingdom. The newly acquired Legacy 650, for example, will be based in Cannes in southern France all-year round. “Like the Falcon 2000LX, the Legacy 650 brings us truly transatlantic capability with a maximum range of 4,400 miles when carrying eight passengers, meaning we can offer nonstop routes like Cannes-Moscow and Dubai-London,” says George Galanopoulos, LEA’s managing director. “These long-rang capabilities are particularly appealing to our business customers looking to cost-effectively put their team in the heart of new business opportunities.” “It’s a tough market – tough and very competitive,” says Galanpoulos. “There will be more consolidation. Consolidation is inevitable and it works well for us. We have great cost savings on insurance, handling fees and in fuel procurement within the group.”
At EBACE in Geneva, LEA announced that it will change its name to Luxaviation UK in the coming weeks. “We couldn’t be prouder of all that we have achieved as a company,” says Patrick MargetsonRushmore, chief executive of LEA. “Our consolidation with the Luxaviation Group has allowed us to have access to the Group’s 250 aircraft, 23 FBO facilities and an employee base of 1,500 worldwide. The next stage of LEA’s journey, as we change our name to Luxaviation UK, will help us benefit from the Group’s global portfolio and help us strengthen the UK’s Business Aviation industry by bringing economies of scale to the market.” “All of the LEA staff, from our operations, maintenance and finance teams to our commercial, marketing and cabin crew employees have an absolute commitment to unrivalled customer service, the building block for the success of LEA over the last 20 years,” adds Galanopoulos. “Our industry knowledge and expertise complements the vast experience of the operators within the Luxaviation Group, and we will see our customers
STATUS
CAE Oxford Aviation Academy train up to 2,000 cadet pilots annually (top). LEA CEO Patrick MargetsonRushmore (below).
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BUSINESS AVIATION UK Acropolis operates under the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The aircraft is registered G-NOAH. “We’ve looked at all London airports and the facilities in Farnborough match the aircraft’s ambience,” adds Bousfield. Acropolis Aviation has 28 employees, of whom 19 are fulltime. All flights feature a six man crew, including two captains, three cabin crew and a flight engineer. “A good 90 percent of our business is repeat business,” adds Andy West, Charter Sales Executive at Acropolis.
PLAYERS
Gama Aviation’s Hawker 1000 based at Farnborough (top). Acropolis Aviation’s ACJ319 lounge area (center).
benefiting from the combined synergies as, together, we enhance best practice across all areas of the business.” GAMA Aviation is another driver of consolidation in Europe. Headquartered at Farnborough airport in Surrey, the company has UK bases in Fairoaks, Oxford, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Bournemouth and Stansted. It has nearly 150 aircraft under management and has a worldwide footprint. The group is specialized in offering Business Aviation related services like aircraft management, aircraft charter, engineering and support services. It operates FBOs in Glasgow, Geneva and Sharjah. GAMA Aviation is constantly looking for opportunities to expand its footprint. In February, the company announced that it had been granted approval of its acquisition of Aviation Beauport Ltd. by the Jersey Competition Authority, adding another four aircraft to GAMA’s fleet and adding Jersey as the next FBO location. “We are very happy to have finalized the acquisition. We would like to thank the Jersey Competition Authority and the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities for their oversight and approval of this deal,” says Marwan Khalek, CEO of Gama Aviation. “We are looking to grow the business and our presence in Jersey is an excellent strategic fit for the Group as the Channel Islands are an important economic center matched by our operations in Hong Kong, Sharjah, Geneva, Teterboro, Chicago, West Palm Beach, Dallas, Las Vegas and those around the London area.”
Looking Further Afield Activities of UK based Business Aviation companies are not limited to British territory. “Neither the UK nor Europe have been a huge market for us,” admits Acropolis Aviation CEO Jonathan Bousfield. “Europe is very seasonal.” According to him, the main market right now is the Middle East. Acropolis started operating a single Airbus ACJ319 with a high-end cabin for 19 passengers in 2010 out of Farnborough. The interior was designed by award-winning Alberto Pinto Designs and offers the ambience of a private club or a boutique hotel. “It’s an aircraft for work and for pleasure,” says Bousfield. “The aircraft can take a lot of bags, too.” The endurance of ten hours and a 180 minutes ETOPS certification has seen the aircraft flying between Europe and the US, the Middle East and the Caribbean, Russia and the Mediterranean. Aircraft and crew are certified for CAT IIIA landings.
Acropolis is the launch customer for the ACJ320neo, an aircraft even more capable in terms of range and cabin volume than today’s ACJ319. It will be able to fly non-stop routes like LondonTokyo or London-Los Angeles. At EBACE, the company announced that the cabin will be designed, once again, by Alberto Pinto Design. “Selecting Alberto Pinto Designs was a natural choice for us,” explains Bousfield. “Our current, versatile cabin caters for a diverse range of travelers, including Heads of State, HNWIs, corporate and leisure clients. Choosing a design that reflects an evolution of our highly popular cabin will help us remain market leading.” The ACJ320neo is scheduled for entry into service in 2020, replacing today’s ACJ319.
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ACCESS TO LONDON
LONDON AIRPORTS: THE AGONY OF CHOICE
T
APPROACH
Falcon7X landing in London City Airport.
he metropolitan region of London is one of the world’s major economic centers - ranking amongst the five largest metropolitan economies in the world. The banking industry plays the most important role and contributes heavily to the UK’s balance of payments. This economic nerve center generates a huge demand for executive air travel, which cannot be satisfied by commercial air transport alone. Therefore, London is a popular destination amongst business travelers. London is also home to a growing number of high net worth individuals (HNWI) who use business aircraft for their personal travel needs. Lucky for them, in the region around London there are several airports that serve business aircraft. Of course the downside of this is when you fly to London, you face the agony of choice. The biggest hassle of flying any business aircraft into the London area is choosing the right airport. If you don’t choose wisely, you and/or your passengers could be stuck in traffic
Volker K. Thomalla takes a close look at advantages and disadvantages of the airports in the London area into the city for nearly as long as it took them to get there by air. The largest and most important airport of the region, London-Heathrow, is out of question for business aircraft users as the airport is congested and slot availability for business aircraft is extremely limited. So how do you choose? Don’t worry, BART has your back! Here’s what you need to know about all of London’s Business Aviation airport options. The Centerpiece If you want to land close to the city’s financial district near Canary Wharf, London City Airport (EGLC/LCY) is a natural choice. But it is not only the closest airport to the financial dis-
trict, it’s also one of the most expensive places to land. To be able to touch down here, the aircraft type has to be certified for steep approaches and the crew has to be properly trained to use this airport. The latest aircraft type to gain the certification to land at the single, 1,533 meter long runway at London City was the Embraer Legacy 500, which received its LCY certificate on May 19, 2016. Another issue is that aircraft parking is limited and therefore prohibitively expensive. In 2015, a record-setting number of 4.3 million passengers used the airport. Being a comparatively small airport with short walking distances, the airport is very comfortable for passengers. To attract more corporate jets, the airport has refurbished its London City Airport Jet Centre. In February 2016, however, two investors, the Alberta Investment Management Corporation and Wren House, part of the Kuwait Investment Authority, bought London City for an undisclosed sum. There are speculations that the asking price was in the
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region of 2 billon British Pounds. In May this year, the airport operator announced that he has reviewed its pricing scheme and will pass on savings to its corporate jet customers. Avfuel is the preferred contract fuel provider at LCY. More than an Airshow TAG Aviation has owned Farnborough Airfield (EGLF/FAB) since 2003 and has transformed the former military airfield into a dedicated Business Aviation airport. It has invested about US$200 million in
infrastructure. The airport is located 30 miles west of London and is connected to the city by the Motorway M3 or by helicopter. “The airport is about speed, discretion, ease of departures and ease of arrivals,” says TAG Farnborough Airport Ltd. CEO Brandon O’Reilly. “2015 saw an increase in movements of two percent over 2014. From January to April 2016, we experienced a growth in movements by six percent. We continue to invest in new products and we completely refurbished the first floor of our terminal that was built in 2006 to accommodate 60 to 80 passengers.” O’Reilly sees a clear trend of highervolume flights: “The use of airlinerderived business jets continues to increase at TAG Farnborough, with a record 939 movements last year.” TAG Farnborough offers everything an aircraft operator needs from maintenance services, handling and up to fueling. The airport has permission to handle up to 50,000 movements per year, including 5,000 movements on weekends. Actually, it counts around
25,000 movements a year. Farnborough operates from 7:00 am until 10:00 pm during the week and from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on weekends. TAG Farnborough is currently working with the UK Civil Aviation Authority to get its own controlled airspace around the airfield. “An airspace change proposal has been submitted,” says O’Reilly.
Dedication London Biggin Hill Airport (EGKB/BQH) calls itself “the only dedicated international airport in London.” It is located a mere 12 miles southeast from central London and offers two FBOs to choose from, one from Signature Flight Support and Biggin Hill Executive Handling. Catering is available at Air Culinaire, which is based at the airport itself.
EXCLUSIVE
TAG Farnborough Airport (top). TAG CEO Brandon O’Reilly (center). London Biggin Hill Airport (bottom).
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ACCESS TO LONDON There are five FBOs at the airport to choose from: Universal Aviation, Diamond Executive Jet Centre, Fayair, Harrods Aviation and Inflite the Jet Centre. Universal Aviation’s European Operations Center (EOC) is located at Stansted, offering 24/7 trip support. The Popular Kid Gets a Makeover London Luton (EGGW/LTN) is one of the most popular airports for Business Aviation in the region, handling more business jets than any other airport in the area. But this There are 60 corporate jets of all sizes based in Biggin Hill and the airport is a port of entry with full border control facilities during opening hours. On weekdays, the airport is open for business from 6:30 am until 10:00 pm. But restrictions do apply. For example, departures between 6:30 am and 7:30 am require prior permission, as do arrivals between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm. There are no runway slots and no restrictions concerning the length of stay. The apron has plenty of space, even for bizliners
TIME-SAVER
London Heli Shuttle flies passengers between Biggin Hill Airport and downtown London in six minutes (top).
like the Airbus ACJ319 or the Boeing BBJ. Proceeding from Biggin Hill by car into London takes between 45 and 60 minutes depending on traffic. By helicopter, it takes only six minutes. There is also a train station in nearby Orpington, from where trains take their passengers to London Bridge Station in 16 minutes. Fuel is supplied by airBP. London Biggin Hill Airport has a partnership agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which twins Teterboro Airport and Biggin Hill as sister airports.
Easy for Bizav too The airport of London Stansted (EGSS/STN), about 30 miles northeast of London’s city center, is normally associated with low cost airlines as it is a major base for Ryanair and easyJet. But it is also an important airport for Business Aviation. Its value for the sector might even be underestimated. Stansted operates 24 hours a day and features a 3048 m long runway, suitable for business jets of all sizes. Even the largest widebody business aircraft like the Boeing 767 and 747 or the Airbus A340 are regular visitors to Stansted.
might only be the tip of the iceberg as the airport is currently in the midst of a major transformation. The company is investing over 110 million pound sterling to fully integrate the airport with London’s rail and road transport networks. Luton is located 30 miles northwest of London. With Harrods Aviation and Signature Flight Support, there are two FBOs available to serve the needs of executive jet crews and passengers. With more than 14,000 movements annually, Signature’s London Luton facility alone is one of the busiest FBOs outside the United States. Signature is investing 26 million pound sterling to redevelop its FBO. The company expects the new FBO to be fully operational in the third quarter this year. “Signature Luton will be the premier FBO in Luton. With exceptional facilities, supported by world-class professionals, our customers’ experiences will be second to none,” says Mark Johnstone, managing director, Signature Flight Support EMEA. “The new Signature Luton FBO will create new jobs and contribute significantly to the local economy as a key
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ACCESS TO LONDON says. “We will actively promote that and our sensible landing fees.” The Reuben Brothers, who own the airport, bought the London-Battersea heliport in 2012 and offer incentives to clients travelling by rotorcraft between these two airports. Where’s the Business? London Gatwick (EGKK/LGW) is the UK’s second largest airport with 41 million passengers in 2015. The focus of the airport is not on Business Aviation. There are no business aircraft based in Gatwick and the numasset to the redevelopment of the airport and community. Luton is open for business 24 hours a day and is home to MRO facilities like the Gulfstream Aerospace Service Center. The factory-owned and operated center has 185 employees. Up to 12 aircraft can be accommodated in the 75,000 square feet hangar. A warehouse is stocked with spare parts worth US$40 million.
SCOPE
Oxford Airport, the sixth active bizav airport in the UK, hosts the fourthbusiest FBO.
A Smart Choice The airport London-Oxford (EGTK/OXF) has seen difficult times. Ten years ago, the number of aircraft movements were at 160,000 annually. London-Oxford used to be the UK’s primary flight training airfield. But as flight training organizations relocated to other countries, the airport lost a large number of movements. Today, they are at 50,000 movements per year, of which 5,500 are generated by business aircraft. 40 percent of Oxford’s business aircraft traffic is London destined traffic, the rest is local. The motor industry is well established around Oxford with eight Formula One racing teams being headquartered in a 30 mile radius. The FBO at London-Oxford (Oxfordjet) is operated by the airport itself. It was one of the first FBOs in the UK to receive IS-BAH accreditation. James Dillon-Godfray, business development manager at LondonOxford Airport, sees London-Oxford as the ideal Business Aviation airport for the region and for northwest London. “Business Jet traffic has been stable for the last three years,” he says. “It is up three percent and international departures increased 25 percent in April compared to April 2015.”
The airport has invested 20 million pound in infrastructure and has installed an ILS, a Thales radar and strengthened the 1552 meter long runway. Getting from Oxford to London City via the motorway M40 takes predictable one hour and ten minutes, says Dillon-Godfray. It takes only 58 minutes by train from the newly opened Kidlington (Water Eaton) railway station to Marylebone (London). There are no slots, and the airport is open from 6:00 am to 8:30 pm. Medevac and ambulance flights can access the airport 24/7. Twenty Executive Jets are permanently based at the airport and maintenance, repair and overhaul services are offered by several companies, including Gama Aviation. Further enhancements to the airport are planned, such as the installation of a LPV200 performancebased navigation system in the coming month. Dillon-Godfray has high hopes for the airport with the EASA approval to operate single-engine aircraft commercially under IMC conditions (SEIMC). “This approval opens up a completely new sector of the market,” he
ber of business aircraft movements is relatively small compared to other airports in the region. London Gatwick operates on a 24/7 basis and is situated 25 miles south of London’s city center. There’s an express train from the airport train station at the east end of the terminal into London city. In March 2016, a new fleet of Gatwick Express trains was launched that will double the capacity by 2018 and see a train leaving the station inbound London every three minutes. The journey times from Gatwick to Kings Cross and Canary Wharf is already today at 40 minutes, for West End and London Bridge only 30 minutes. Signature Flight Support operates the only FBO at Gatwick. It can do ground handling for all kinds of executive aircraft, from light helicopters up to a Boeing 747. Immigration and customs services are available 24 hours per day. Between 10:30 pm UTC and 4:59am UTC, Signature offers its customers free overnight parking for all aircraft types. Fuel at Signature Gatwick is provided by Exxon.
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Join European business leaders, government officials, manufacturers, flight department personnel and all those involved in business aviation for the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2017). Save the date and visit the EBACE website to learn more.
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UK REPORT
UK HELICOPTER MARKET IN SLOW CLIMB The UK helicopter market is emerging from its recent slump, albeit slowly. Mark Huber reviews the key players in the industry and their popular products
W
TRAINING
Castle Air Academy operates as a Bristowapproved base consolidating its training activities.
orldwide, the turbine helicopter market continues its funk. More than 20 percent of the globe’s offshore energy helicopters are parked. Global OGP helicopter services company CHC, with large operations in the UK and Norway, filed for bankruptcy on May 5. And more carnage is sure to follow. In its 18th annual Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchase Outlook, Honeywell forecasted global turbine helicopter deliveries from 2016 to 2020 to 4,300 to 4,800, down 400 from its forecast of 2015. CHC operated 231 helicopters holding orders and
options for nearly $500 million of new helicopters prior to filing bankruptcy. Just weeks before the CHC filing, on 18 April, Bristow Group, the world’s largest OGP helicopter operator, announced that it was sacking several high-profile top executives and eliminating their positions to “flatten” its management structure and contain costs. The UK helicopter market may be gradually emerging from its recent slump, albeit slowly. The UK represents the world’s seventh-largest turbine helicopter market with 663 on a recent registry, or about 3 percent of
the world’s total, or about one-tenth of the US market, and 4 percent of the world’s piston market, or about 413 units, giving it a global ranking of sixth overall in that category. Overall, the UK fleet has shrunk at a rate of 6 percent per year between the years 2009-2013 and fleet replenishment and marginal increase typically lags economic growth by several years. About 70 percent of the UK fleet falls within the weight class of under 12,500 lbs. Helicopter activity measured as movements through the London control zone in London and Battersea is
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on the increase after falling to a low of 18,937 in 2012, from a recent high of 34,872 in 2007, rebounding to 22,610 last year. For the year ending on March 31, 2016, the London heliport at Battersea, the city’s sole commercially-licensed facility, posted its best year since 2008, recording 10,500 movements. The heliport’s management attributed the rebound to business traffic, including “prolific” weekly departures from King Power’s AW109. Management also noted that roughly 20 percent of the movements were linked to business jet flights at London Stansted, Luton, Oxford and Farnborough airports. Battersea is strategically located, a mere 35 minute flight to Goodwood; 15 minutes to Ascot in Berkshire and 35 minutes to Silverstone. The heli-
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issues created by the myriad of new construction projects around London. “We have done this not only out of self-interest as a business providing a valued landing site for commercial air transport and privatelyowned helicopter operations, but also for the public service, military and diplomatic users for whom the London heliport is of crucial importance,” said General Manager Simon Hutchins. There are other bright spots. Last year PDG helicopters, ranked the UK’s 76 th most-profitable company, underwent a 20 million pound management buyout. PDG flies a variety of utility helicopters from bases in Inverness, Glasgow, Wolverhampton and Dublin, flying 10,000 hours per year on diverse missions including charter, forestry spraying, firefighting and aerial filming. Helicopter flight training across the UK continues to innovate. The new lightweight, piston-powered French Guimbal Cabri G2 is now in the fleets of 11 UK helicopter training schools including Helicopter Services and Cotswold Helicopter Center with new deliveries made in the past year, a sure sign of market confidence in a traditionally low-margin business. Helicopter Services’ diverse fleet includes an Agusta A109C, three Airbus AS355s, one Robinson R66, three R44s and five R22s. Cotswold is the UK distributor for Guimbal. Its fleet includes seven Cabri G2s, one R44, and one AS350B2 Squirrel. Earlier this year, Castle Air purchased the UK branch of the Bristow Academy at Gloucestershire and formed the Castle Air Academy.
port is co-owned with the London Oxford Airport and clients receive a 50 percent discount on landing fees when they use both facilities together. In February 2016, the heliport took local VFR traffic control inhouse with its own staff from outsourcing, while the NATS continues to provide wider area London inbound and outbound service from the heliport. The move was made to improve service and make it more responsive. London heliport management also has taken a strong role in advising official construction planners with regard to the air safety
WHIRLYBIRD
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UK REPORT
LIFESAVER
Royal National Lifeboat Institution crew training with an S-92 on the Gap SAR contract.
Under the deal, Castle will operate as a Bristow-approved base, consolidate its training activities and move its simulator at Liskeard to Gloucestershire. Instrument training will be offered in the AW109 light twin, as well as type ratings and rotary wing add-on training. Four AW109 FNPT II simulators will eventually be available on site. Bristow’s UK government SAR contract continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise challenging environment for the company. Under terms of the deal, Bristow will provide a fleet of 11 Leonardo AW189 supermediums and 11 Sikorsky S-92A heavy helicopters to replace Royal Air Force Sea Kings from 10 bases seven new purpose built and three existing - that began staffing up in 2015. The contract runs until 2026 and has a potential value of more than US$3 billion. New bases at Humberside, Inverness, Caernarfon, Lydd, St. Athan, Prestwick and Newquay have gone live in 2015 and 2016; the existing UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) base at Lee-on-Solent, and two existing Bristow bases, one at Sumburgh and the other at Stornoway, are all scheduled to go on line as part of the contract in 2017. The latter two already are operational by Bristow under a
UK Gap SAR contract for Northern Scotland. Delays in AW189 certification for flight into known icing has forced Bristow to substitute AW139s and S-92s at certain bases to date. The UK SAR contract is designed to cut costs and response times. Given the helicopters’ capabilities, ranges and basing locations, the government estimates radius actions of 200 to 250 miles will average incident flight times of 19 minutes. The AW189s for the UK SAR contract are to be produced at the Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland) plant in Yeovil. The Yeovil plant has been a mainstay of native UK helicopter production since its Westland days more than 50 years ago, building both its own models and those under contract for American companies including Sikorsky and Boeing. While most of its output is focused on supporting the defense sector including final assembly of the Super Lynx 300 and AW159, it will be assembling the AW189s for the UK SAR contract, producing significant components for the new AW169 medium twin, and is home to the production line of the heavy AW101 tri-engine model that has found favor with SAR, military and VVIP applications worldwide since its introduction in 1999, originally as the EH101. The British gov-
ernment has engaged in various support programs for the Yeovil plant over the years, including fronting a $36 million loan to support the AW169 component program there including transmissions and main rotor blades. Leonardo projects a market that could exceed 1,000 AW169s over the next 25 years. Leonardo Yeovil continues to be a major regional employer, providing more than 3,000 direct jobs in recent years while generating an additional 10,000 in-country via the supply chain. While Leonardo’s industrial presence in the UK has not translated into civil sector market share leadership in the country, its A109 line of light twins has proven to be a popular model with charter operators and a few of the air ambulance charities and was selected by the RAF in 2006 to populate Squadron 32 (Royal) to convey top government officials and VIPs. However, thanks to three new models, the fortunes of Leonardo in the UK’s civil market could soon improve. The new AW Trekker should build on the popularity of the native AW109 fleet. The Trekker is a less expensive, skidded version of the AW109S. It made its first flight in March and EASA certification is targeted for year’s end. The helicopter’s price point is designed to make it attractive to the EMS and utility markets. In February, Leonardo delivered the first of six new light intermediate twin AW169s to UK EMS operator Specialist Aviation Services. The first delivered AW169 will enter service with Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. The AW169 also should prove popular with the executive charter market. While the AW609 civil tiltrotor remains in flight test, it demonstrated its ability to quickly connect European urban centers last summer when a prototype aircraft flew from Yeovil to its factory near Milan in just 2 hours and 18 minutes. Once operational, the AW609 will not only be able to quickly connect European urban centers, it will greatly speed access to oil rigs in the North Sea and holds the promise of additional applications for coastal SAR. Certification approval for the AW609 could come as early as 2018. While Leonardo is poised to make gains in the UK turbine helicopter
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HELICOPTERS ON UK BY MANUFACTURER Airbus Helicopters EC120 SA341 SA342 AS350 EC130 AS355 BO105 EC135 BK117 EC145 EC155 AS365 EC225 AS332 TOTAL
29 43 0 45 4 59 12 53 3 11 9 15 30 29 342
AgustaWestland A109 (all variants) AW139 AW169 AW189 Total
80 28 1 11 120
Bell B47 (all variants) B206 (all variants) B407 B429 B212 B412 UH-1 Total
14 107 2 4 3 1 2 133
Enstrom F-28 280C/FX 480/B Total
13 24 8 41
Guimbal Cabri G2
20
Hughes 369
27
MD 900
23
Robinson R22s R44s R66s Total
142 230 15 387
Schweizer 269 (all variants)
25
Sikorsky S-61N S-70 S-76s S-92As Total
3 3 10 49 65
market going forward, today that market clearly belongs to Airbus Helicopters and it has been so for nearly 40 years. More than 440 Airbus helicopters operate in the UK in both civil and military applications and it has impressive market penetration: 75 percent of police aviation, 70 percent of the air ambulance sector and 50 percent of the oil and gas market. Approximately 100 of these helicopters fly defense missions for transport, training and operational missions. Airbus helicopters operates a maintenance and mission control base at its Oxford in country headquarters, with bases at Hawarden/Wales and Belfast, and a dedicated oil and gas service center in Aberdeen. In-country capabilities include design, development, customization, completion, flight testing and certification, technical support, maintenance, training and spares supply. The Airbus EC/H135 series is the favorite choice of many of the nation’s air ambulance providers and the AS350 is a mainstay of the charter market. Airbus continued to deliver new EMS configured H135s into the UK market last year including with Bond Air Service on behalf of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. That particular ship was equipped with
NVIS night vision capability, a growing trend in the UK. Airbus is also seeing growing demand for the larger H145, particularly in the EMS role. Last year, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance signed up to be the fifth H145 operator in the UK, joining other operators including Scottish Air Ambulance and East Anglian Air Ambulance. The H145’s extra cabin space, four axis autopilot and its ability to be equipped with a hoist is proving popular with a growing number of operators. As is Airbus Helicopter’s new H Care guaranteed maintenance plans. PDG, which operates a fleet of 17 Airbus helicopters, has opted to enroll in H Care Parts by the Hour (PBH) contracts from the OEM to cover its new H135s acquired to support its services contracts for the UK’s General Lighthouse Authorities. PDG envisions flying a pair of H135s 1,000 hours per year in support of the contract, carrying out utility operations including personnel transfers and logistics missions between main bases, light houses and support vessels at sea. As part of a global initiative to improve customer service, last year Airbus improved its new aircraft warranty and increased its worldwide parts stock by $100 million, placing them closer to customers at mainte-
EXIGENCY
Thames Valley Air Ambulance new H135, the first in the UK to fly in a HEMS role.
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UK REPORT hit the market in 1994. This year MD announced that it had finally flown a new system developed in tandem with Universal Avionics and that it anticipated certification in 2017. An evolution of the MD902, called the 969, is slated to come to market in 2017 with improvements including the new avionics, three-axis autopilot (with four-axis to follow in 2018) more fuel capacity, more powerful engines, an improved NOTAR (no tail rotor) system and a better cockpit, but that may be too late to stem the market erosion, at least in the short-term.
LIGHT
MD 500E (top) and R44 (center) both classified as light helicopters.
nance depots including Aberdeen. It also improved its parts deliveries guarantees. It also made its maintenance programs, including PBH, more attractive by cutting their costs by up to 25 percent and by removing the up-front buy-in. The initiative appears to have paid dividends as Airbus’ rankings in industry-leading maintenance surveys has demonstrably improved. Airbus competitor Bell Helicopter continues to make slow inroads into the UK with new product, chiefly through authorized representatives. In October 2014, it broke into the UK ambulance market when Heli Charter in Manston, Kent, placed the model 429 light twin in service with the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. That ship became operational in January 2015. Heli Charter has placed the 429 on Bell’s new Customer Advantage Plan (CAP) parts by the hour program announced earlier this year. CAP enrollees pay a fixed cost per flight hour with optional coverage for non-standard kitting and preferred labor rates at Bell authorized service facilities. The plans are fully transferable and can be custom tailored to existing fleets. A handful of 429s also service the UK executive market. Heli Charter is also a dealer for the new Bell 505 light single and has built an order book for it. The 505 is the first serious competitor to the Robinson R66 in the UK market, with a current estimated price of under $1.3 million. EASA certification is likely in 2017. Heli Charter holds EASA maintenance approval for the Bell 206, 429 and 407. In addition to its main facility at Manston, it also maintains bases at Turweston and Devizes.
Throughout much of the last decade, the quiet technology MD Explorer series of light twins was the mainstay for both the UK air ambulance and police markets, but that is changing with almost half of the native in-country fleet slated for disposal. In recent years, the UK fleet had represented nearly 25 percent of the active MD Explorer fleet worldwide. Part of this is due to fleet consolidations in both EMS and police markets, with the National Police Aviation Service consolidating air operations for 43 territorial departments in England and Wales and demonstrating a preference for Airbus Helicopter products. However, historically MD has been late to bring product improvement to the fleet in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the cost of product support increased as parts for the low-volume seller became ever more expensive. The MD902 received EASA increased gross weight approval up to 6,770 lbs just last year, but still short of the 7,000 lb limit for instance on the Bell 429. And a glass cockpit solution has been slow-in-coming for a model that first
Robinson R66 turbine singles have sold well in the UK, but it dominates the in-country piston market with its R22s and R44s. And a new product offering should see that trend continue. In February, the California company unveiled plans for a new two-place helicopter, the R44 Cadet, priced below Guimbal’s Cabri at just $339,000. The Cadet uses the same airframe and engine as the four-place R44 Raven I, but removes the two rear seats and derates the Lycoming O-540-F1B5 engine to 210 hp (takeoff) and 185 hp (continuous), increasing the overhaul interval for 2,200 to 2,400 hours. Gross weight is reduced to 2,200 lbs. The Cadet will provide students with greater stability than the R22, accommodate larger students, have better performance in high/hot conditions and be able to accept cargo behind the pilot positions. Useful load with full fuel is 489 lbs. It also will be available with floats for an additional $28,000. Robinsons in the UK are sold by Sloane Helicopters and Heli Air Ltd.
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SBAS Honeywell’s awardwinning SmartView Synthetic Vision System has proven its worth in bizav to reduce pilot workload and increase flight safety, writes Steve Nichols
SYNTHETIC VISION COMES OF AGE WITH HONEYWELL SMARTVIEW
H
FEATURE
SmartView SVS includes electronic airport moving map (top) and traffic info cockpit display.
oneywell’s SmartView Synthetic Vision System (SVS) has grown from being a futuristic prototype to a fully-fledged commercial product. As such, it is attracting a lot of attention from the Business Aviation community. The system displays a computergenerated depiction of the view from the cockpit window using a multitude of sensors and Honeywell’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) terrain database. SmartView gives a depiction of flight symbology and 3D terrain on the primary flight display (PFD)
complementing the pilot’s real-time view — presuming the weather or time of day allows it! It was the first industry-certified synthetic vision system and Honeywell says its main selling points are its ability to increase safety by improving situational awareness, reducing pilot workload and eliminating poor visibility. And it doesn’t stop there. As well as helping pilots with the in-flight segment it can also help them navigate safely on taxiways, runways and ramps at night and in low-visibility conditions. SmartView’s surface awareness and guidance tools also include virtual runway remaining
markers, route guidance on airports, taxiways with identifiers, and holdshort “gates” that appear up to help the pilot prevent runway incursions. With the EGPWS database, SmartView also works as a ground proximity tool, preventing decisions that could lead to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). The database now has a flight record of 600+ million hours of operation on commercial, business jets, helicopters and is credited with preventing at least 30 CFIT events. SmartView combines this information with positional data from the aircraft’s GPS navigation system.
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But where does SVS come from? Synthetic Vision technology was first developed by NASA and the US Air Force in the late 1970s and 1980s in support of advanced cockpit research and in 1990s as part of the Aviation Safety Program. Gulfstream and Honeywell unveiled their own SVS technology to the business jet world at the 2006 Farnborough show with their PlaneView Synthetic Vision – Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD), which was subsequently certified in August 2008. This was available on the Gulfstream G350, G450, G500 and G550 aircraft equipped with the Honeywell Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD) and Head Up Display (HUD) technology. Gulfstream says that more than half of all its delivered aircraft have subsequently been fitted with the SVS and it is standard on the G650. In April 2016, Gulfstream announced it had received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to offer a synthetic vision upgrade to GIV-SP aircraft equipped with its PlaneDeck cockpit. Gulfstream Product Support President Derek Zimmerman said: “Synthetic vision is one of the best safety features a business jet can have. By providing a 3-D color image of runways, terrain and obstacles, pilots get a clear view of the virtual flight path. The increased level of situational awareness, which is particularly useful in unfamiliar locations, bad weather and at night, reduces errors as well as a pilot’s workload. This upgrade will ensure the nearly 325 GIV-SPs in service worldwide remain a valuable asset for years to come. We are committed to providing the best aviation experience for all of our operators.” The Gulfstream PlaneDeck synthetic vision installation requires a software upgrade as well as new wiring from the symbol generators, traffic collision avoidance processor and GPS receivers in the radio racks for the display units. A synthetic vision system on/off annunciator is also installed. Gulfstream says it is pursuing a similar supplemental type certificate from the FAA for the GV and GIV. Honeywell’s Product Line Director for Epic Integrated Avionics Tom Lawler said: “Gulfstream will get version two of the system in 2018 on the G500.”
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In February 2016, Honeywell announced that Embraer had premiered its first E-Jet E2 with Honeywell’s Primus Epic integrated flight deck with SmartView. It said its five 8x10 inch displays will be replaced by four 13x10 inch large landscape displays with advanced graphics capabilities. Synthetic Vision is also available for helicopters, notably the Agusta AW139. “A lot of engineering has gone into adapting SmartView for rotary-winged aircraft,” said Lawler. “It isn’t just a case of using the same system as the flight characteristics of helicopters throw up a whole lot of new challenges. For example, helicopters can fly sideways and can fly very steep approaches. So the flight path vector presentations have to be different.” But how does it work? Honeywell’s terrain database has been built up over many years from data obtained from maps, satellites, China, Russia even the space shuttle - and updates are issued three-four times a year. The launch of Honeywell’s SVS was the result of more than 750 hours of flight simulator testing and 300 hours of flight testing on its aircraft. In the prototype, pilots saw a camera image directly overlaid onto the synthetic vision scene on the primary flight display. The pilot could adjust the level of transparency of the synthetic scene, which was based on terrain data from Honeywell’s EGPWS. This was developed further and Honeywell introduced what was to become SmartView as a software upgrade to its Primus Epic integrated cockpit in 2012. It is also now available on SmartView on Gulfstream aircraft equipped with the PlaneView cockpit and Dassault’s EASy cockpit, which are both derived from the Honeywell Primus Epic flight deck. The single-engined Pilatus PC-12 NG also gained SmartView three years ago as part of the Primus Epic cockpit. The PC24 will also have SVS version 2 when launched. Lawler added: “We are working on our SVS 2.0 upgrade that will combine 3D airport moving maps on the PFD. About 300 airports have been mapped and we plan to increase that to around 500 by the time it is certified in 2018. We expect to get that up to 700 airports by the end of the decade.”
SmartView also includes other features such as texture and shading on mountainous regions that change according to your distance from them and the sun’s illumination. “Alerting functions also change as the threat level increases,” said Lawler. “A pilot starts to see threats in yellow and then red on the PFD as they become more important. Importantly, we maintain that pilots shouldn’t be using SVS for their sole navigation aid. It is an aid to their flight and augments other navigation and flight tools,” he noted. Current updates have already seen runways gain more features including center line markings and runway texture. Range rings were also introduced, as well as grid lies with NorthSouth, East-West detailing and color coding for absolute altitude terrain. The added bonus is that you don’t need a HUD to use the system. With the information being displayed on the entire Primary Flight Display, it means that the co-pilot could monitor the heads-down display at the same time as the pilot uses the HUD. “The power of SmartView comes from the high levels of graphical processing power that is now available to us,” Lawler said. “The next logical step was to combine SVS with the view from our Enhanced Vision System (EVS).” EVS uses an infrared (IR) forwardlooking camera to give pilots a better view out of the cockpit at night or in poor visibility. “But this brings new challenges, such as making sure the two depictions - the EVS infra-red view and the synthetic vision view are conformal. That is, that they overlay each perfectly and line-up with each other,” said Lawler.
CONVENIENT
SmartView terrain graphic representation bestows situational awareness.
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SBAS
HAZARD
SVS benefits daytime approaches in hazy conditions and no visual glide path.
Honeywell uses special software algorithms to ensure the nosemounted EVS image is shaded in the same colors as the SVS-displayed terrain in the background, while also being “blended in” with the SVS view. Honeywell was the first to publicly demonstrate the merging of synthetic-vision and enhanced-vision system (EVS) visuals from a Kollsman IR camera on a business jet primary flight display back in 2010. But how are pilots taking to this strange new world of synthetic vision? When questioned a few years ago, Honeywell had said that the main obstacle to the system becoming commonplace was some pilots’ reluctance to accepting SVS in the first place. This was still relatively new technology and had yet to become mainstream. But that view has now changed. “It is now becoming accepted by pilots and they love it,” said Lawler. “It has been taking the world by storm. It is not a system that you can appreciate just by reading a brochure. You have to experience it first-hand to gain a full insight into all its benefits. A common reaction by pilots who have seen it in action is that they want it. We’ve flown them on trial flights very close to difficult terrain, once with SmartView switched on and then again with it switched off. Universally, pilots all say that having seen it in action they preferred to have it left switched on! It’s compelling and given that kind of demonstration they say they didn’t appreciate how useful synthetic vision was until they saw it working with their own eyes,” he said.
Honeywell said it also sees SVS benefitting daytime approaches where there are hazy conditions and where no instrument approach or visual glide path exists, or at night where there is poor runway lighting or they are obscured by city lights. It says there are many examples of approaches being made where conditions were reported as being clear. One was in Los Angles where haze prevented the pilot seeing the runway at the three-mile point due to smog conditions. SVS therefore helps with lower approach minimums. It also comes into its own if the pilot inadvertently aligns with the wrong runway or makes a final approach on a taxiway. Departures are also enhanced at night or in mountainous terrain. SmartView also makes extensive use of an obstacle database that is updated on a regular basis. “This is an optional feature and wasn’t included in the original certification. The database may include features like bridges on the approach line and tall skyscrapers,” said Lawler. “At the moment that database is maintained by Honeywell, but we are looking to include the ability for users to update that database themselves. We want to able to provide the tools for users to add additional hazards. We get requests from users to include obstacles that are important to them, such as oil rigs, which can of course move and are not fixed. The important point is to ensure that the obstacles are added correctly and accurately. The integrity of the database is paramount,” he stated.
Lawler said that the last market segment it would like to help is commercial airliners. “We are already making inroads with the Embraer E2, but that could be the tip of the iceberg. Now that the pilot community are starting to see synthetic vision in action and liking it, word is getting around. I don’t see any region of the world that couldn’t benefit from it,” he said. There are other new markets that lend themselves to the same technology. In February 2016, news broke that the SVS technology may even be used on tanks in DARPA’s Ground XVehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program. In a DARPA tank, the outsidevehicle view conveyed by SmartView could be coupled with a “near-to-eye display”. Bob Witwer, Honeywell’s vice president of Advanced Technologies, said the origins of SmartView really came out of the company’s merger with Allied Signal back in 1999. “Allied Signal had developed EGPWS and the terrain database that drives it,” said Witwer. “Ultimately, that was the starting point for developing SmartView. We’ve changed a 30 year-old idea of having flight displays to a more strategic display of what is happening both around the aircraft and its position relative to the ground. SVS is not about having the latest gadgets. It’s a case of matching the display modality to the mission,” Witwer said. “Our approach has been to give pilots what they need for the task in hand. And give them the information they need, when they need it.” Who knows, at some point in the distant future, we might even see synthetic vision mandated for all aircraft.
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EBACE SHOW SIGNS OF BLUE SKIES AHEAD Business Aviation manufacturers and customers displayed rosy outlooks for the year ahead at EBACE 2016 in Geneva, Marc Grangier writes as Pilatus with its new PC-24 twinjet shown for the first time at EBACE – that things might actually be looking up for bizav.
O
OPENING
NBAA President Ed Bolen speaking at the Opening General Session (center).
verall, I don’t think anyone would argue that the Business Aviation industry could certainly be better. But let’s stay positive – and after a busy EBACE 2016, doing so doesn’t require any stretch of the imagination. Many exhibitors and attendees that BART talked to in the course of the week gave us a number of reasons to be optimistic about our industry’s future. For example, President of Gulfstream Aerospace Mark Burns told us that his company’s sales activity was much stronger than last year, and the recent EASA certification of the G650ER and the development of the G500 and G600 (due to enter into service in 2018/2019) will be excellent tools to stir up the market. Likewise, Brad Nolen, Director Product Strategy and Market Development for Bombardier, indicated that the North American market remains very strong.
For us Europhiles, JETNET’s Rollie Vincent had some good news, believing that Europe could even be a global bright spot in the next few years – imagine that! While the last 12 months have shown some signs of aircraft sales on the continent decoupling from GDP growth, Europe actually had the fastest fleet-to-GDP growth of any region globally. Concerning emerging markets such as China, Russia and South America, President and CEO Embraer Executive Jets Marco Tulio Pellegrini estimates that there will be no positive evolutions before next year or the following. But it’s not all bad news here, as he also insisted upon the fact that the number of new aircraft arriving on the market could well push up the sales in these regions. With several new models in the pipeline, Textron, Dassault and Bombardier could only agree, as well
Your Local Forecast Bombardier took advantage of the show to release its 10-year Business Aviation forecast, predicting up to 8,300 new business jet deliveries. This represents approximately US $250 billion in industry revenues from 2016 to 2025 in the segments in which it competes. It is expected that North America will account for the greatest number of new business jet deliveries between 2016 and 2025, with 3,930 aircraft, followed by Europe, which remains the second largest market with 1,530 deliveries expected between 2016 and 2025. Also at EBACE, Bombardier confirmed that Flexjet was the previously undisclosed customer that last April purchased 20 Challenger 350 jets for an amount of US $534 million. Aircraft Updates EBACE is always an occasion for the OEMs to provide the latest updates on their various programs, and this year’s edition didn’t disappoint. Textron Aviation revealed further details concerning the development of its single engine turboprop aircraft (SETP). The yet unnamed new aircraft, which will sell for US $4.5 million (in 2016$), will be designed to have cruise speeds of up
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to 285 knots and a full fuel payload of 1,100 pounds. Its planned range is 1,600 nm. For Scott Ernest, president and CEO, Textron Aviation, the aircraft will incorporate the Garmin G3000 avionics suite and will be powered by GE’s new advanced turboprop engine developing 1,240 shaft horse power (SHP) equipped with McCauley’s new 105-inch diameter composite, 5blade, constant speed propeller. The aircraft also will feature a 53inch wide aft cargo door, very similar to that of the Pilatus PC-12. It will seat up to eight passengers and include six individual reclining seats and an optional belted lavatory seat with pocket door enclosure located in the back of the cabin. Although the program isn’t targeting first flight until 2018, letters of intent are already being accepted. Concerning the new Citation Longitude, Cessna representatives indicated that the wing and fuselage mating of the prototype have successfully been completed just six months after revealing the new aircraft. First flight is planned this summer with entry into service set to follow in 2017. The Longitude features the next evolution of the Garmin G5000 flight deck and will be powered by FADECequipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines with fully integrated auto-throttles. It will offer a full fuel payload of 1,500 pounds, a maximum cruise speed of 476 kts and a highspeed range of 3,400 nm. Dassault Aviation, meanwhile, exhibited its new flagship, the Falcon 8X, which offers the greatest range and the longest cabin of any Falcon. In late April, s/n03 completed a global proving tour designed to demon-
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strate its operating capabilities under different conditions, with a particular focus on cabin comfort and connectivity. The 65-flight 55,000 nm campaign took the aircraft to 46 destinations, from North, Central and South America to Europe, the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia. FAA and EASA certification of the 6,450 nm/11,945 km Falcon 8X is expected by mid-year, and entry into service by late summer – right on schedule. Production is continuing to ramp-up to meet growing demand for the aircraft: 24 Units are currently in final assembly at the company’s Mérignac production plant near Bordeaux and another 11 are in completion. Concerning the Falcon 5X program, delayed due to Silvercrest engine technical issues, Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier indicated that certification is now planned for 2019 with first deliveries during the first half of 2020. Gulfstream Aerospace announced that its new long-legged aircraft, the Gulfstream G650ER, had recently received EASA type certification. The G650ER, an extended range version of the G650, has a maximum speed of Mach 0.925. At Mach 0.85, it can carry passengers 7,500 nm/13,890 km, and at Mach 0.90, 6,400 nm/11,853 km. On the service side, Gulfstream recently enhanced its support for a growing number of Europe-based operators. The addition of two companyauthorized maintenance sites, Jet Aviation’s service center in Vienna and Altenrhein Aviation’s new Berlin line maintenance operation, help support a fleet of more than 220 aircraft in Europe including more than 30 based in the central section of the continent.
Burns also indicated that G500 and G600 test programs continue to stride toward anticipated FAA certification in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The four G500 test aircraft have exceeded 1,000 flight hours. The G500 is slated to receive type certification in 2017 with deliveries starting in 2018. The G600 is projected to enter service in 2019. Embraer brought all its business jet models to Geneva, from the Phenom 100 to the Lineage 1000. During the first quarter of 2016, the company indicated it had delivered 12 light jets and 11 large jets, compared to 10 light jets and two large jets in the same period of last year. Last April, Embraer achieved a new milestone when Flexjet took delivery of Embraer’s 1,000th business jet. This significant landmark occurred a little more than a decade after the company fully committed to the Business Aviation market. At EBACE, Embraer announced that Across, the Mexican executive charter operator, had signed a firm order for 23 aircraft: eight Legacy 500, eight Phenom 300 and seven Phenom 100E jets with an estimated value of over US $260 million.
STATIC
Gulfstream G650ER (top left), Falcon 8x (top right) and Embraer Legacy 450 at the static display.
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NEWCOMERS
Pilatus PC-24 prototype (top left). EASA’s Steven Higgins presents type certificate to HondaJet CEO Michimasa Fujino (top right). Supersonic jet AS2 rendering (center left). Jet Aviation facility.
Happy on its home turf in Switzerland, Pilatus proudly exhibited its first PC-24 prototype, “P01”, which briefly interrupted its test flight program to be at the official EBACE opening day. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pilatus Oscar J. Schwenk told BART that the two prototypes have completed 300 flights and over 500 hours in Switzerland, Spain, Scotland and Iceland. “In the past few months we have conducted numerous important tests to explore the flight envelope and observe how the aircraft handles in natural icing conditions, and the results are very positive,” he says. “The aircraft is comfortably meeting and in some cases even exceeding projected performance benchmarks”. Certification of the PC-24 is planned for September or October 2017, with deliveries starting one month later. New orders will likely be taken during NBAA 2017. For the time being, Pilatus is busy finishing the construction in Stans of a new assembly hall fully dedicated to the PC-24, as well of a new totally automated warehouse. HondaJet kicked off the show by announcing that it had received EASA
type certification. Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino mentioned that HondaJet sales in Europe have begun and his company has already established a strong dealer network there, where it appointed Marshall Aviation Services (Northern Europe), Rheinland Air Service (Central Europe) and TAG Aviation SA (Southern Europe). Richard Tracy, A e r i o n ’s chief technical officer, gave additional details on its new AS2 supersonic tri-jet, for which Airbus now makes most of the design work. The company has progressed on the choice of the engines (3x15,000 lb thrust) and is now in discussions with two engine manufacturers. The supersonic range objective is 4,750 nm, and long-range-cruise range at Mach 0.95 is projected to be 5,300 nm. The AS2 cabin will have seating for eight to 12 passengers. Tracy projects first flight in 2021 with entry into service in 2023. Fractional aircraft ownership company FlexJet, as the inaugural fleet purchaser, has already ordered 20 AS2 at a unit price of US$120M.
Ready, Set, MRO The MROs also had a busy EBACE, with Jet Aviation St. Louis signing its 35th 120-month inspection for Globals. The inspection mandates the disassembly of most of the aircraft for review of the airframe and structure including the landing gear. Many customers have their aircraft repainted during the inspection since it will be out of service anyway. The company also signed its first agreement to install Honeywell’s JetWave satellite communications terminals in a Global Express to upgrade the in-flight Internet experience. The JetWave multi-channel terminals operate on Inmarsat Aviation’s GX Ka-band network, enabled by three satellites that cover the entire globe and provide true broadband connectivity. Not to be outdone, Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) signed a service center agreement with Associated Air Center. “This new relationship enhances our ability to introduce and expand existing maintenance programs for the customized or VIP airliner market,” says President and CEO Neil Book. “On the airframe side, this is a segment of
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the market that has had very limited maintenance programs available. We are working very hard to deliver more options to BBJ and ACJ operators around the world.” Universal Weather and Aviation used the show to launch uvGO online, a new way to access uvGO, which allows operators to easily plan, build and manage successful missions worldwide. uvGO online delivers the same logical operational workflow as the uvGO iPad app, which was launched at last NBAA. “Now, regardless of whether clients are using the uvGO iPad app in the aircraft or the online version in their office, they can plan their missions from beginning to end on their own, while also having the ability to optionally coordinate trips through their dedicated Universal trip support team,” says one company representative. CRS Jet Spares, which is providing aftermarket support solutions to Gulfstream, Challenger, Hawker, Falcon, Global, Beechjet and Learjet operators, is now offering the SmartStem Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System manufactured by Crane Aerospace. “This is a product
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that we only recently have become the worldwide distributors for,” says Jack Caloras, VP Sales and Business Development. This device can be retrofitted to Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft. CRS is also providing Securaplane airborne video cameras and PreFlight security systems detecting and logging intrusions into aircraft monitored from any smartphone. Luxaviation Group and ExecuJet co-exhibited for the first time to show their unified approach to the industry. As the second largest operator of corporate aircraft in the world, Luxaviation manages 250 aircraft while Execujet runs the Group’s FBOs and maintenance centers worldwide. At EBACE, Execujet disclosed that since the beginning of this year, it has added five new FBOs to its network and expanded one of its busiest FBOs, bringing its total number of locations to 23 worldwide. ExecuJet’s Munich FBO joined the ExecuJet family at the beginning of February 2016, becoming the company’s second handling facility in Germany after Berlin Schoenefeld. A partnership with National Air
Services in Saudi Arabia, formed in February, saw an additional FBO facility at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, added to the ExecuJet network. In April, the company opened its first FBO in Monterrey, Mexico, and also entered the Indian FBO market. Also underway is the completion of the newlyrebranded ExecuJet FBO facility in Brussels. Aviation Partners Inc. (API) disclosed that less than a year after the initial FAA STC was granted for Split Scimitar Winglets (SSWs) on BBJ aircraft, there are already eight of the type wearing this revolutionary new Winglet technology. This is in addition to almost 700 NextGeneration Boeing 737s retrofitted by Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint venture between API and Boeing. The SSWs now have FAA and EASA STC approval for all BBJ, BBJ 2 and BBJ 3 aircraft. API is the exclusive provider of SSWs for all BBJ, BBJ 2 and BBJ 3 aircraft, in addition to original Blended Winglets for VIP Boeing 757/767, as well as Falcon 900/2000/50s and Hawker 800s.
RETAIL
SmartStem Wireless Pressure Monitoring System distributed by CRS JetSpare.
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REPORT Flying Colours Corp. confirmed at EBACE signing the first customer for INAIRVATION’s pre-engineered retrofit cabin solution for Bombardier Globals. Flying Colours, which was named a North American partner by the Austrian-based joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and F/LIST during NBAA 2015, is already working with the European partners on the design engineering for the cabin. The undisclosed client signed the order in late April, and work on the project has already begun.
BUSY
UAS booth created a buzz with its professional hosting (top). Rockwell Collins (bottom) promoted its Venue system at the show.
Not Complete without Completions On the completions side of the business, Comlux announced that Comlux America LLC, its Completion and Service Center based in Indianapolis, signed their 12th VIP interior completion for a BBJ 737-700IGW aircraft. The aircraft officially entered into the Indianapolis facility in January and is scheduled to take approximately 14 months to complete including exterior painting. This BBJ completion is for a private customer based in the Far East. Lufthansa Technik’s design department unveiled its brand-new Airbus A350 VVIP interior concept, called “Welcome Home”. The unique cabin promotes flexible areas for privacy or valuable family time and provides super connectivity in regard to all communication channels. “Many of our own products, like the Chair VIP seat, the steam shower and our inductive cooking plate have been integrated in this cabin,” says Wieland Timm, vice president Sales VIP & Special Mission Aircraft at Lufthansa Technik. StandardAero announced that Associated Air Center (AAC), its Large Transport Category, VIP Aircraft Completions Center in
Dallas, Texas, recently redelivered its 13th BBJ 12-year inspection to a US based customer. President of AAC James Colleary told BART that the aircraft’s cabin management and inflight entertainment systems were also upgraded with Rockwell Collins’ “Venue” High Definition entertainment system. The Satcom system was changed to SwiftBroadband for highspeed data and Internet reception utilizing a Satcom Direct Internet router. Colleary indicated that completions represent 70 percent of the turnover and that his company was eagerly waiting for the arrival of the new AC350, on which it has already started to work.
Avionics Check In Rockwell Collins announced that its Venue high-definition cabin management and entertainment system will equip new Bombardier Global 5000s and Global 6000s beginning mid-2016. It will also be available as a retrofit solution on in-service Globals through Bombardier Service Centers. Venue, which has been installed in more than 850 business aircraft cabins around the world, is custom built to emulate the latest in home entertainment and boardroom technology. Venue’s open-architecture design also provides a path to easily implement future cabin technologies.
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Honeywell has signed an agreement with Empire Aviation Group to provide its full suite of GoDirect connectivity services and products for the cabin and cockpit. The technologies, developed by Honeywell’s recent acquisition, Satcom1, will be installed on the entire fleet of aircraft managed by Empire Aviation Group. Honeywell’s products include the AvioIP cabin router, which helps enable more reliable in-flight connectivity for passengers by giving them an “office in the sky” experience with enhanced Internet access, email, videoconferencing and smartphone usage. Universal Avionics UniLink UL800/801 Communications Management Unit (CMU) Software Control Number (SCN) 31.X is expected to receive Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval by mid-year. The new software upgrade provides operators with the necessary Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) message sets to meet the European Link 2000+ Program mandate requirements. Satcom Direct (SD) introduced its latest innovation, SD Pro, the first fully integrated flight operations management platform, which brings together SD products and services with integration partners to deliver real-time data about the aircraft via a single interface. SD Pro allows viewing and managing flight logs, performance data, scheduling, trip planning, maintenance information, operating history, etc. Start Your Engines GE Aviation’s Passport engine has been awarded FAA type certification, paving the way for its 2018 entry into service powering Bombardier’s Global 7000. The Passport has been designed to power a new generation of extralong-range business aircraft between
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10,000 to 20,000 lbs of thrust. According to David Coleal, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft: “As of May 23, the Passport has accumulated more than 2,400 hours and 2,800 cycles in ground and flight-testing. By the time the Passport enters into service, it will have accumulated the equivalent of ten years of flying for a Global 7000 or Global 8000 aircraft operator with more than 4000 hours and 8000 cycles.” GE Aviation also named RUAG Aviation as an authorized service center for GE’s CF34-10E engines. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) stated that its new PW307D engine has received EASA type certification. The engine powers Dassault’s new Falcon 8X. Part of the PW300 family of business jet engines, the PW307D solidifies P&WC’s presence in the long-range Business Aviation segment and builds on the success of the PW307A program, which to date has delivered over 800 engines for Dassault Falcon 7Xs. Rolls-Royce is further expanding its global network of Authorized Service Centers (ASC) under its CorporateCare service provision for customers. RUAG Aviation, meanwhile, has expanded its capability to include the BR710A2-20 engine and renewed its ASC contract a further five years for the servicing of the AE 3007A. Learning to Fly FlightSafety International announced that training for the Gulfstream G650 will be offered at its Learning Center located at Farnborough airport/UK. Training is expected to begin in March 2017 following Level D qualification of the simulator. This will be the fourth training location and fifth simulator for the
G650. Two simulators for the aircraft are installed at the FlightSafety Learning Center in Savannah, Georgia. The others are in service in Long Beach, California and Wilmington, Delaware. The new FlightSafety FS1000 simulator, being built for the Gulfstream G650, will feature the latest advances in technology – including the VITAL 1100 visual system. That’s a Wrap Well, that’s a wrap – and a fair amount of news coming out of Geneva if we must say so ourselves. Now let’s hope the momentum continues to build as we power our way towards NBAA in November.
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HIT
Universal Avionics and Satcom Direct booths saw a good deal of traffic during EBACE.
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THE DOCKET
T PART-NCC WHO IS AT RISK? Although the EASA Part-NCC regulation takes effect on Aug. 25, uncertainties about what it entails and who is liable still linger. Here’s everything you need to know, reported by Aoife O’Sullivan
ESSENTIAL
Part-NCC is crucial for European operators and private operators flying to Europe.
o all owners and financiers of large aircraft: New regulation has been introduced. It is coming into force soon and it affects you very personally. Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 (the Basic Regulation) entered into force on 8 April 2008. Operators and personnel involved in the operation of certain aircraft have to comply with the relevant essential requirements set out in Annex IV to this EASA Air Operations Regulation. The rule applies to non-commercial operators of complex aircraft with a principal place of business or residence in a member state of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Therefore, it applies to EASA and non-EASA registered aircraft. The new implementing rules (Regulation EC 965/2012 & 800/2013) came into force on 28 October 2012. However, member states have the flexibility to postpone the applicability of the rule by up to two or three years. For those states who decided to opt out, the final cutoff date is 25 August 2016, by which time the non-commercial operation of business jets and other complex motor-powered aircraft will have to comply with a new regulation called “Part-NCC”. Most professional operators will have been aware of the impending rules for some time and will have already adapted their systems, procedures and manuals accordingly. In the case of aircraft which are not managed by a professional operator or indeed managed by an operator who is not up to date on the new changes, the owners and financiers of such aircraft are at risk. The regulation has highlighted an underlying risk within private and corporate aviation and the resulting exposure to financiers and owners. Furthermore, the regulation extends beyond EASA registered aircraft – the focus is instead on the “operator”. If your N-Reg aircraft is based in the EU and operated from the EU, this regulation will apply to you. If the aircraft is not operated by a professional operator, responsibility for the safe and proper operation of the aircraft usually defaults to the owner and that owner must ensure compliance with the regulation. Not knowing what standards are required will not pro-
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tect these owners from legal responsibility. More worryingly however in the case of many privately managed aircraft, there is no certainty as to who is in fact the “operator” of the aircraft and if not properly defined, the default position will most likely be the owner. Private Operations: Who is the Legal Operator? Article 3(h) Reg 216/2008 defines an operator as “any legal or natural person, operating or proposing to operate one or more aircraft.” Depending on the underlying or surrounding operation and management of the particular aircraft, the definition can apply to many different people who oversee the day to day operation of the jet including the pilot, the flight department within a corporate group, aircraft managers, “consultants” or the owner itself. The operator has full legal and regulatory responsibility for the aircraft and each flight. The operator is responsible for such things as: i. Maintenance management ii. Employment of flight crew iii. Preparation and maintenance of operations manual iv. Responsibility for entering into contracts for particular operations v. Flight planning, fuelling and repairing the aircraft vi. Keeping the required aircraft records e.g. log books vii. Briefing the flight crew viii. Control of the operation in the sense of deciding when the aircraft will take off, where it will go, and what it will carry ix. The ability to abort the operation x. Compliance with regulation and laws xi. Safety oversight and systems In the event that any supporting functions are contracted out, the owner may still retain overall responsibility: Full operational control of private aircraft cannot be easily contracted out and the ability to do so depends on many factors, not least the state of registration of the aircraft. For example if the aircraft is registered as a private aircraft with the FAA, Part 91 of the FAA regulations confirms that the owner retains full operational respon-
sibility for the aircraft at all times and this responsibility cannot be fully transferred from the owner (with some carve outs for leases and fractional ownership models). The possibility for a legal nightmare arises in the context of a Part 91 aircraft based in Europe. If the FAA says the operator is the owner and he lives in the US but EASA says the operator may be the manager based in the EU, which regulation applies? Sadly, this is not clear and is an issue EBAA will be tackling in the coming months at various working groups organized on topic. Private Use When an aircraft is operated privately, in very general terms it means that the aircraft cannot be used for charter or “Commercial Air Transport”. In such cases the aviation authorities have relaxed certain rules around the operation of these jets - the main reasons owners tend to want to keep the aircraft as a privately operated aircraft are as follows: Flight time limitations - flying privately does not have the same restrictions on flying hours for pilots so effectively you can push them to fly for longer. Runway length - some runways are deemed too short for commercial aircraft but you can land privately (e.g. Cannes). Cabotage - a commercial aircraft is obliged to request flight permissions to fly point to point within a territory. So for example an EU registered aircraft would need permissions to fly point to point within the US. The permissions tend to be readily granted but the paperwork is an additional task.
In many cases, the structures put in place to manage and operate these aircraft remained unscrutinized by the regulatory authorities. Not only that, many owners have not engaged the services of professional advisors when putting these structures in place and are not aware that they may have exposed themselves to full responsibility for the operational control of the jet when they thought they had passed it off to the “aviation consultant” they trusted to do the job, usually at a very modest cost. An owner is at liberty to hire whoever he wants to operate the jet and in many cases many owners hired ad hoc consultants who provided varying services to keep the aircraft flying. Which one of them is the operator? Do you as an owner really want to wait to find out that it was you all along? EASA has quite rightly identified the potential risk of allowing owners to do whatever they want with complex machines and under the new regulations the requirements for proper and safe operation of private aircraft (referred to in the regulations as non-commercial complex aircraft) has been increased. For example, all operators of such aircraft will be required to create and maintain an Operations Manual, a Safety Management System (SMS) and will be required to submit their aircraft to a CAMO. If the owner is the operator, this responsibility falls squarely on him. There are many areas of risk for owners and operators of privately operated jets quite aside from the new responsibility introduced by the EASA Air Operations Regulation. Some examples are set out below.
DUTY
All aircraft heavier than 5,700kg and equipped with more than 19 seats must comply with Part-NCC.
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THE DOCKET able to delegate it completely. If your corporate service provider tells you they will become the operator and they even allow you to register the aircraft with their name on the register as the “operator”, this will not help you. For one, they are not really aircraft operators and calling them an operator won’t fool the regulators. You may not have divested operational responsibility (see above) and you certainly would have some awkward questions to answer as to why you think hiring a CSP as an operator instead of a professional aircraft oper-
OBJECTIVE
The goal is to bring the safety level of private operations closer to the commercial standards.
When an aircraft is operated privately, the owner is on board or guests of the owners may be on board provided they are not paying for the flight. At EASA level, any payment for the flight is illegal unless the aircraft is operated by an AOC holder that is a licensed operator with an “Air Operators Certificate” (AOC). In the UK, the Air Navigation Order uses the definition of “public transport” which is a similar concept to “commercial air transport” save that “any consideration” may include non-cash payments. For example if I let you fly on my jet in return for a free room in your hotel, this is considered to be “valuable consideration” for the flight. If the flight is not operated by an AOC holder, technically it is an illegal flight, known colloquially as “grey charter”. When aircraft are operated “privately”, the default position by law is usually that the owner is the legal operator. It is possible to delegate this responsibility to a professional operator but under many regulatory systems, the owner remains liable for the safe operation of that flight and is deemed by law to be in “operational control” of the flight. This goes way beyond the authority of the pilot in command – the person having operational control has regulatory responsibility and is accountable for safety and all other aspects of the aircraft operation. Many professional operators will agree to provide management services for the operation of an aircraft privately but the wording of such contracts is deliberately construed to ensure that the owner remains the legal operator. Certain services will have been delegated or subcontracted to the professional
operator but the owner remains ultimately responsible and answerable if, for example, aviation regulation were breached in any way. It is very important in negotiating these agreements that the owner does hire an operator to provide management services and then unwittingly absolve the professional operator of all responsibility by acknowledging that the owner remains ultimately responsible. Many owners have historically bought aircraft in their own name or even in the name of a company with other assets. This person or company becomes the owner and the legal operator and is the responsible party for the due and safe operation, maintenance and control of the aircraft. The buck stops with you. If you do not use special purpose vehicles to protect yourself from claims or the consequences of a major loss, now is certainly the time to review your holding structures. Even if you delegate the responsibility you will never be
ator should divest you of corporate (or directors) responsibility for the safe operation of the jet. In many cases, owners run their own flight departments which will at least consist of one or two pilots. If the aircraft has always been operated as a private aircraft, it is very unlikely these people will know or be sufficiently experienced to ensure the aircraft as an NCC aircraft is operated to AOC standards. Being licensed to fly an aircraft does not necessarily translate into being an expert on operational requirements and to some degree it is unfair to expect this of the pilots. However, if the owner is the operator, the fact that the flight department does not work to the requisite standard is an exposure for the owner. Non-compliance and the resulting breach of regulation exposes the owner to penalty but even more seriously has the potential to negate the insurance policy, a precondition of which tends to be that
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the aircraft be operated to aviation regulatory standards. Similarly the on-going covenants of most financing documents require proper and safe operation to the requisite regulatory standard and failure to do so is an immediate breach of the loan or lease entitling the financier to repossess and in most cases sell the aircraft. This is particularly the case in finance leases where the lender is the legal owner of the aircraft. The finance documentation ensures that operational responsibility passes to the borrower. Many financiers do not appreciate
that it may not be legally possible to divest all operational responsibility for the safe and proper operation of an aircraft. The financier as the legal owner may be the legal operator and is ultimately responsible. Grey Charter: Who is the Legal Operator? An aircraft which is intended to be offered for third party charter (i.e. operated commercially or for public transport) must be operated by a professional operator with an AOC. As soon as the aircraft is added to the AOC, that operator becomes the “operator” and the owner is absolved of operational responsibility. Many privately operated aircraft should be on an AOC because they are unwittingly breaching the rules and regulations surrounding charter of aircraft. Quite simply, if consideration passes for a flight, that is commercial air transport and the aircraft
must be on an AOC with a professional operator. Failure to do so is illegal and will negate the underlying insurance policy. One of the biggest underwriters in the aviation insurance market told us recently that if they were aware of an incident involved an illegally operated aircraft, they may not even have a choice in terms of whether they would cover the loss. Insurance cannot cover illegal acts. If the act is illegal, the underwriter is restricted by insurance law from paying out. So when is the flight illegal? Most immediately consider the flagrant breach of regulation as the obvious example. I own a jet which is registered on a private register and I advertise that jet as being available for charter. This is a clear breach. The “grey” aspect of illegal charter can, however, arise in the context of charge backs for flights. So for example, a corporate owns an aircraft and charges throughout the
Group for the use of the jet – this is a sensible corporate policy and is a way of defraying both the fixed and operational costs of running the aircraft. The Group benefits from the use of the aircraft for the benefit of the business as a whole and no one subsidiary has to carry the on-going costs. The problem arises when the “Group” is not really a group. The definition of Group in the context of aviation regulation does not necessarily marry with the definition of Group within IFRS accounting rules. The definition is quite restricted and generally includes wholly owned subsidiaries of a common parent company. Affiliates are not included where the equity share falls below 51 percent. Any company outside that definition is not within the Group for aviation regulation purposes and charging that entity for a flight is third party charter. If the operation of that flight is not carried out by an AOC holder, it is illegal. Taking an unconnected client on board the aircraft and allowing them to share in the fuel cost is illegal. Allowing the same client to pay for the hotel room in return for the flight makes the flight an illegal charter. In some countries even conducting a business meeting on board the aircraft whereby some benefit passes is “valuable consideration” and potentially illegal. The potential exposure to the owner of the aircraft is immense – the owner is the operator and if the owner has allowed illegal charter on the aircraft, the owner is ultimately responsible. The directors of that owning company have a duty of care to the company and to the shareholders and hiring a flight department
PIVOT
Established in 2002, EASA has more than 800 aviation experts from all EU member states.
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THE DOCKET
AUTHORITY
Aoife O’Sullivan (right) highly regarded in the Business Aviation trade.
will not absolve them from liability. If the illegal flight has an incident, the owning entity will be responsible as the operator and the directors will need to answer some very difficult questions surrounding their approved operation. If you are one such owner and you have never audited your flight department now is the time to do so. In many cases, the flight department themselves have not appreciated the legal subtleties. This is even more pronounced in comparing EASA and FAA regulation. The FAA has quite sensibly introduced a type of licensing or oversight of privately operated aircraft (Part 91) and permits what is known as “time share agreements”. Under these agreements, sharing the cost of fuel on the flight in certain circumstances is permitted (up to two times fuel). In an EASA context, this is illegal because somebody who is not connected to the owner is paying for the flight. So how do you resolve it? You either audit your flight department thoroughly or re-assess your charge back systems throughout the Group or you place the aircraft with an AOC holder and you can charge whoever you want for the flights with the comfort of knowing someone else has taken legal responsibility for the safe operation of the aircraft. If your passengers pay market rate for the charter and you use that to defray the fixed costs, this is all permissible and even helps with any benefit in kind issues created by your directors and management using the jet. The added bonus is that there are some very attractive tax reliefs and structures available for commercially operated aircraft.
AOC Holders and the Disadvantages In reality there are very little disadvantages to placing an aircraft with an AOC holder apart from possibly cost? If you really do want to push your pilots that little bit more or land in Cannes on a good day with the wind in front of you, you can still have the aircraft managed by an AOC holder as a private aircraft. Some registries (e.g. UK and Malta) even permit you to flip from commercial to private so you get the best of both worlds (but beware that when you do “flip” to private, you the owner may be the deemed operator of that flight). The management fee should be assessed against the cost of running your flight department but also against the cost or exposure to the corporate, HNW, trust or financier as the legal owner of the aircraft. Why do we like the AOC holders? They have paid good money to put systems and procedures in place and even one poor individual with his head on the block (known as the accountable manager) who must account for the safe operation of every single aircraft. He or she is personally liable. They are audited by the regulators on a regular basis. Best of all they become the legal operator of the aircraft and the responsibility for safe operation falls squarely on their shoulders. In terms of corporate responsibility you and your directors (and senior management) can rest easy. Unless you have a top class flight department or management team, are you really doing enough to protect yourself from scrutiny in terms of the safe and proper operation of a very complicated machine? Don’t be afraid to ask questions and audit your team if you are operating an aircraft privately. Ask
them if they know what the new regulations are and review to make sure they are living those standards. Pretty operations manuals on shelves and safety management systems are no good to you unless the practices within them are enshrined in the daily ethic of your team. If you don’t do this, the questions you will be asked will be far more loaded with consequences in the event of an incident. You’ll need to show that you considered the risks and that you took a proper risk mitigant approach to the operation of your aircraft asset in the same way you do for all other systems and procedures in your business.
✈
Aoife O’Sullivan is a London-based lawyer specializing in business and commercial aviation, military aircraft and civil aerospace. She is a leading partner at a boutique firm dedicated to the aviation industry, The Air Law Firm LLP. Aoife is internationally renowned for her work in aircraft finance and speaks regularly at conferences and industry events. Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine named her as one of the top 10 leaders in Business Aviation in 2014. Aoife is a member of the Board of Aerion Corporation Inc, a pioneering company dedicated to developing aircraft for supersonic flight. Aoife was a founding member of IIBN, a network of Irish entrepreneurs of in excess of 5,000 members worldwide. She was previously chair of the European Business Aviation Association finance and leasing group. Aoife O’Sullivan is extremely knowledgeable and commercially savvy, particularly in relation to the corporate jet market. Contact Aoife at: aosullivan@thelawfirm.com
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MRO
MRO MEETING VIP AIRCRAFT OWNER’S NEEDS
Y
POPULAR
Despite its teething problems, the A320neo (top) is one of Airbus’ best sellers.
ou have to support what you sell and nowhere is that more true than in the world of VIP aircraft, where nonstop flights stretch well past 14,000 nautical miles and destinations may be to places that even Google has trouble finding. An owner or operator may have dropped anywhere from $58 million to $350 million this chariot of fire and he might believe it should come with assurance that his airplane will leave when he wants to leave and go where he wants to go, every time. And maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is a vital key to making that a reality. Today, the VIP fleet is approaching 400 aircraft, beginning with the smallest Lineage 1000E from Embraer to the largest Boeing Business Jet 747-8. And MRO has become a major part keeping the fleet flying. This fleet is not getting smaller. BBJ 787s are still being delivered and deliveries are expected to continue over the next several years. Boeing has orders for 10 BBJ Max business jets, a mix of -8s and -9s. Remaining on the order book and still waiting to go to completion are two BBJ 777s, six BBJ 787s and one 747-8. Airbus has orders for six aircraft from the ACJneo family – two ACJ319neos and four ACJ320neos. Deliveries of the ACJ320neo begin in the fourth quarter of 2018 and those of the ACJ319neo in the second quarter of 2019. Airbus also has an order for the ACJ350, though the delivery date remains confidential. It all bodes well for the green completion business. The MRO side of the VIP industry can expect a grow-
Kirby Harrison examines
companies will be
Director David Velupillai. That includes customized, low-maintenance programs, a one-call-handles-all Corporate Jet Customer Care Center (C4you) and dedicated customer support directors. Looking forward, an Airbus Corporate Jets Service Center network is being progressively put into place and already includes: Airbus Corporate Jet Center in Toulouse, France; Comlux America in Indianapolis, Indiana; HAECO Private Jet Solutions in Xiamen, China;
ing demand for work, with legacy aircraft aging and new business jets joining the global fleet in the coming years. According to Airbus, ACJ owners benefit from a support network of technical advice and spares, as well as training centers serving more than 500 customers worldwide. In addition, they enjoy support and services tailored to their needs, according to Airbus Corporate Jets Marketing
Sepang Aircraft Engineering in Kuala Lumpur and ST Aerospace in Singapore. Airbus Corporate Jet Center, a wholly-owned Airbus subsidiary, is the linchpin of the corporate jet MRO business, and the VIP Pass program is central to that effort. It includes a suite of seven customizable services from scheduled and unscheduled maintenance to full engine support and spare parts management.
up-to-date developments in the MRO side of the VIP industry, discovering what the present and future outlook for leading
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LINEAGE 1000 CARVES ITS OWN NICHE The Lineage 1000 and 1000E from Embraer are described by the manufacturer as “ultra-large” aircraft, positioned in a niche between the largecabin Gulfstreams and the smaller of the Airbus corporate jets. And MRO is a major part of Embraer’s business. Embraer has already sold 30 Lineage business jets and recently received an order for three more from MGM. The $53 million 1000E was introduced in 2013, offers 4,600 nm range, can be configured for up to 19 passengers. As part of a new aircraft purchase, the company’s Embraer Executive Care (EEC) provides an optional five years of maintenance coverage. Customers pay only for hours flown plus a fixed amount per month and know in advance what their maintenance expense will be by transferring the risk of cost variations to Embraer. The options include: • EEC Standard, covering aircraft components such as avionics and auxiliary power units, tires and brakes for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Freight costs are included. • EEC Intermediate provides coverage for labor and heavy maintenance costs in addition to all the options available under EEC Standard. • EEC Enhanced is the premium package that provides all the coverage available under EEC Standard, as well as labor costs for all levels of maintenance. It also includes mobile recovery services to help with unexpected events at remote locations. EEC complements the warranty by covering unexpected costs associated with scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, rescue teams and wear and tear, as well as the exchange, repair and transport of parts, such as tires, brakes and batteries. It also manages all supplier costs, which provides customers a cost-saving in parts and repair management logistics. Embraer is also focused on spare parts and has hubs in Brazil and the United States, as well as distribution centers in Brussels, Singapore, Beijing, Paris, Moscow and Dubai.
The “à la carte” VIP Pass allows customers to tailor their own package, reflecting their personal support strategy. The CAMO service was recently approved by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and this new EASA Part M approval allows ACJC to manage continuous airworthiness services on the entire ACJ320 family — from the ACJ318 to the ACJ321.
This approval, said Head of Services Sales Jérôme Ferasin, “adds a new way of building long-term and solid partnerships with clients.” Completion Centers Expanding VIP MRO Services Completion centers doing ACJ and BBJ interiors are seeing rapid growth in MRO work. AMAC Aerospace in particular has a booming business in VIP aircraft maintenance. Work just
since last November has included: two BBJ3s in for C-checks, four BBJs for heavy base maintenance, an ACJ320 for a 12-year inspection and heavy base maintenance, an ACJ318 from a Russian customer for a Ccheck and a BBJ777 for heavy Ccheck. Interior refurbishment was part of the maintenance contracts for all seven of the eight airplanes. Comlux America, in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been developing its aircraft maintenance capabilities for nearly 30 years and an EASA Foreign Part 145 certificate was awarded in March, making it the first stand-alone EASA certificate holder in the US. It allows Comlux to perform base maintenance as well as interior completions on European Union-registered aircraft not type certified by the FAA. “With this new certification and the value of the dollar, Comlux is more competitive than ever,” said Arnaud Martin, executive vice president of Swiss parent company Comlux the Aviation Group. The latest news from GDC Technics comes from Manera Airport in Marrakech, Morocco, where the San Antonio, Texas-based completion specialist is launching a new facility. At it, GDC will be offering aircraft modification and demonstrating its extensive capabilities in design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, testing and certification to commercial, business and military markets. “This will be our center of excellence across the region,” said GDC General Partner Mohammed Alzeer. “We will be bringing the experience we have from Fort Worth, Texas, and at our German and Middle East satellites.” Heading up the business as CEO of the new GDC Technics Africa will be Shabbir Pirmohamed, who spearheaded the turnaround at GDC USA. The venture into North Africa is part of a global expansion program, following an opening in India and a joint venture in Hong Kong designed to develop a presence in Asia. “Africa is very important to us,” said Alzeer. “We have worked closely with the Moroccan government and we have identified the right site in Marrakech.” He noted that there are already 10,000 people working in the
SPACIOUS
With 752 sq ft of floor space, the Lineage 1000E provides a home away from home.
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MRO Maintenance as Part of the Aircraft Life Cycle “Our completions and MRO business units work closely together to offer customized solutions that meet the operational needs of our customers’ aircraft through the life cycle,” said Marc Galin, director of Completions Marketing at Jet Aviation Basel. Before an aircraft departs completions, the customer or operator has a face-to-face meeting with key contacts from the maintenance center. This, explained Galin, “helps ensure continuity well beyond the completions project. The customer feels his aircraft will be well-maintained and cared for throughout the warranty period and beyond by people he has
GROWTH
Comlux America expanded their Indianapolis hangar to facilitate widebody completions (top). GDC furthers its lead in the 787 Dreamliner modification market (below).
aerospace industry in Morocco; there is an excellent education system and it is a multi-lingual country with a great work ethic. “I am often asked if I am taking on the Southern European MRO giants,” said Alzeer. “I am not,” he answered. “We will be offering a world class service and will leave it for the clients to decide what to do.” “At ST Aerospace, we know all about aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul,” said a spokesman for the Singapore-based giant. The company has a goal of total program management, a means of enhancing visibility of the MRO work in progress. St Aerospace bills itself as a one-stop center for airframe, engines and components, engineering design and technical service and aviation materials and management. Further, a maintenance-by-the-hour (MBH) program provides cost predictability as derived from a guaranteed cost per flight-hour use. The new VIP aircraft interiors center at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore was opened in February this year. It totals 28,955 square feet and will also provide base maintenance for aircraft up through narrowbody VIP aircraft such as the ACJ and BBJ. “We notice a rising trend of aircraft operators requesting for VIP aircraft interior refresh to be performed concurrently with heavy maintenance,” said Ang Chye Kiat, executive vice president of aircraft maintenance and modification for ST Aerospace. “The
breadth of our VIP completions and maintenance capabilities allows us to provide a complete experience for our customers.” In April, ST Engineering announced that its aerospace arm secured $443 million in the first quarter of 2016 for projects ranging from airframe maintenance and cabin interiors to engine wash, component repair and overhaul. Included in those contracts are line and heavy airframe maintenance agreements for various customers, as well as cabin interior modifications for both commercial airlines and VIP customers. Separately, ST Aerospace continues to build its in-house engine accessory testing capabilities in Xiamen, China.
worked with and has grown to trust.” Combining maintenance events with refurbishment, including external paint needs, is more often than not a practice customers prefer, Galin pointed out. “It just makes sense to address all key in-service needs during the same downtime.” Another benefit for completion customers returning to Jet Aviation for MRO work is to have the same people who designed, built and installed their cabin interior oversee the removal and installation of that interior during a maintenance event. Key Jet Aviation sites such as Basel offer all key capabilities under one roof to perform maintenance, refurbishment and external paint concurrently.
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MRO “Given our experience with an aircraft and the trust already built up at the completions center, the Jet Aviation Basel maintenance center generally makes us the preferred MRO,” Rongier concluded. The approach is not unlike that of Lufthansa Technik. The Hamburg, Germany-based center’s goal is “to offer technical services over the whole life cycle of an aircraft.” “Therefore our VIP and Special Mission Aircraft Product Division has, in addition to the completion center, its own maintenance organization responsible to develop and offer highly individual technical services,” said Wieland Timm, vice president of Corporate Sales for VIP and Special Mission Aircraft.
UPKEEP
(From top) ST Aerospace hangar, Jet Aviation St. Louis Paint Shop, Jet Aviation Basel Completions (left) and Lufthansa Technik facility.
Jet Aviation operates 25 facilities, including its two completions centers in Basel and St. Louis. The MRO network consists of four key hubs; St. Louis for the Americas; Basel for Europe; Dubai for the Middle East and Singapore for Asia. Each hub is in turn supported by satellite stations that offer MRO, FBO and aircraft management and charter services, alone or in combination. “We don’t see any signs that suggest a decrease in demand for scheduled maintenance and are fully prepared to continue providing the highest standards to our customers,” said Vincent Rongier, head of Refurbishments, Modifications and Upgrades at Jet Aviation.
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VIP CENTERS FIND MRO BUSINESS IN SMALLER AIRCRAFT Most of the VIP completion centers these days have expanded their MRO services down to include super-midsize and large-cabin business jets. They include everything from avionics upgrades to cabin refurbishment to airframe alterations and heavy base maintenance. They will also have FAA and EASA approvals, as well as aviation authority approvals from dozens of countries. Jet Aviation Basel’s maintenance center, for example, has certificates from 24 countries, some as far away as India and Malaysia. Many are also acknowledged by aircraft manufacturers as approved service centers. Jet Aviation St. Louis doesn’t do VIP green completion work. It does do green completions on Challengers and Globals under contract with Bombardier. It does maintenance on mid-size and large-cabin business jets and is almost always at capacity, according to Spokesman Charles Bosworth. On at least two occasions, the center has taken in three Embraer Lineage 1000s simultaneously for maintenance. In fact, Jet Aviation St. Louis is the only Embraer-approved service center in the Americas and Canada. In April, the center signed its 35th 120-month inspection for one of Bombardier’s Global line. The inspection is required every 10 years and mandates disassembly of most of the aircrew for review of the airframe and structure. At Jet Aviation Basel, MRO work on smaller jets is also active and often includes cabin refurbishment at the same time. Most recently, a C-check and pre-purchase inspection on a Legacy 650 included exterior paint and avionics upgrades, as well as a full cabin refurbishment. Jet Aviation Basel is the only Embraer Service Center in Europe authorized for all maintenance tasks, including Part 21 design organization and the interior work. Few centers are as embracing of MRO services for smaller business jets as enthusiastically as AMAC Aerospace Turkey. Based in Istanbul, it is a Dassault-approved service center. In January the center completed its first EASy II upgrade on a Falcon 2000EX. AMAC in Basel did base maintenance on a privately owned Gulfstream GIV in January, as well as an engine overhaul on a head-of-state GIV. “Our hangars are able to combine and accommodate any number of maintenance projects, and we also have a line station facility at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport,” said an AMAC spokesman.
Maintenance services anywhere are becoming more and more critical in today’s global market and Lufthansa Technik offers scheduled maintenance services for VIP customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. If required, dedicated maintenance experts from Lufthansa Technik’s VIP and Special Mission Aircraft Product Division support the maintenance experts or even execute work at the home bases of the customers. Further support can be provided by a number of partners. Looking forward to growing demand for scheduled maintenance, Lufthansa Technik is developing different and new products, “like a flat rate for individual maintenance costs models” that will permit tailoring of all services to customer needs. Providing maintenance, repair and overhaul has become an important business strategy of completion centers throughout the industry, as well as a means to further diversify revenue streams. And it will continue to grow as means of developing customer loyalty. Lufthansa Technik’s Timm put it bluntly: “The possibility to support a customer, not only during completion but also during ‘in-service’ is the key to establishing long-lasting relationships.”
✈
HONOR
Jet Aviation St Louis (top left). Lufthansa Technik outfitted the interior of this Boeing BBJ2 (right). Below, Dassault’s Jacques Chauvet (right), presents a plaque to AMAC CEO Kadri Muhiddin.
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FROM THE COCKPIT
SOP FOR
Do not underestimate the importance of return-to-service test flights and preflight checklist to avoid maintenanceinduced incidents, Captain LeRoy Cook advices
POST-MAINTENANCE FLIGHTS
B
usiness aircraft are expensive to operate, but it is important to budget enough extra funds to allow for pilot proficiency and postmaintenance test flights. It would be embarrassing to roll the airplane out of the MRO shop, load up the company officials and have to return immediately after takeoff because the cabin won’t pressurize. A return-to-service test flight may be required by regulation or operations manual, and it should be taken quite seriously. Anytime one or more aircraft systems have been worked on, the subsequent flight needs to be conducted with jaundiced eye and attention to detail. Increase your vigilance as you complete each checklist item and do more than just moving a control or confirming the absence of a light. Be sure the response occurred and is correct. Take extra time to run the checks.
INPUT
Questioning technicians at the maintenance facility is crucial to keep the aircraft airworthy.
‘Here’s Your Aircraft’ When you arrive at the maintenance facility, have a discussion with the director of maintenance and the lead technician who actually did the work. Find out as much as possible about what was opened up on the aircraft, what discrepancies were found and
how they were taken care of. Do not be accusatory with your probing. Treat the shop personnel as part of your team. To keep the aircraft airworthy, you need their input, and they need yours. Your curiosity is not focused on learning how to be a mechanic. You simply want to gain insight about what to watch for during the test flight. If the brake components were changed, you may look for a different response to brake application, particularly if new disks or pads have to be broken in. Extra care in taxiing may be called for until the brake performance is verified. By knowing the specifics of where the aircraft systems have been disturbed, you’ll not just be on guard, you’ll also be ready to write down parameters and flight conditions during the flight. These “test card” notes are important to the technicians and can be valuable as a benchmark if readings change during service. Oops! Of course, it helps to know what was worked on in case a vibration or instrument indication shows up. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of maintenance-induced incidents, small mat-
ters caught before they resulted in an accident. On one test hop, accompanied by the mechanic, a burning smell showed up. My companion instantly knew the source; he had left a shop rag in the heater shroud when it was buttoned up after inspection. The smell went away before our hasty landing was completed. On another test hop, after propeller governor adjustments had been made, smoke was observed streaming from the front of the cowling. All instrument indications were normal, but a precaution recovery was initiated. The “smoke” turned out to be powdered aluminum. A deice slinger ring was out of place and rubbing against the cowling, grinding away metal. Again, because we knew where the work area was, we were able to watch for abnormalities. Remember; people are human, and humans make mistakes. Computers are built and programmed by humans, so they can make mistakes as well. Seldom is intentional sabotage a factor. Rather, it is haste and over-familiarity that leads to maintenanceinduced errors. An initial or signature may show an item was completed and inspected, but you still need to watch that area during a test flight.
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Preflight Diligently
The Proving Flight
Once you’ve availed yourself of as much knowledge as you can about the work that was just done on the plane, conduct a preflight inspection armed with that knowledge. Check the cowlings that were opened, inspection covers that were disturbed and control surfaces that may have been re-rigged. Of course you look at these things before every flight - REALLY look at them this time. Even an innocuous oil change can lead to disaster. A half-century ago, I picked up an airplane from the shop after an inspection, with a fresh fill of oil in the tank. As I c l i mbe d o ut f ro m t he a i r p o r t , I sc anne d th e inst r u m e n t s a n d noticed a low oil-pressure indicati on. It dro p p e d f u r t he r a s I watched. I reversed course and reduced power for a descent to an immediate landing, and as the pressure dropped out of the bottom of its range I secured the engine. The landing was normal, but exiting after shutdown revealed an oil-covered engine compartment. The oil screen had been removed for cleaning and examination and its access plug was only replaced finger-tight, not torqued. Three sets of eyes failed to catch the blunder. During preflight, consider the conditions before flying. I do not conduct post-maintenance flights into darkness or weather. I want to be unencumbered by flight tasks when I’m checking out the aircraft. Most test hops require only a half-hour of flight time, just long enough to bring up operating temperatures, climb to altitude and cycle through the systems. But take time to stabilize and verify all parameters. Add items to the before-takeoff checklist that may have been affected by the shop visit. Avionics, for instance, may not have been part of the squawk sheet, but settings, switches and wiring could have been moved, removed or wrongly reconnected. Does everything work normally? Better to catch it on the ground than in-flight. When the engines are started, take note of the starting sequences and temperature indications and the battery and generator indications for any abnormalities.
As power is applied for the takeoff run, see if both engines have similar responses with the usual amount of trim and rigging irregularity. Takeoff acceleration needs to reflect power being developed and brake freedom. You may not normally gauge time on the roll or speed achieved by distance consumed, but this takeoff would be a good time to do that. Sounds and feels are subjective testpilot evaluations as we unstick and climb out, even to the smells coming from the environmental ductwork. You know your aircraft, so listen to what it has to say. Gear and flaps should cycle in the usual number of seconds; climb and acceleration rates should be normal; trim should respond as usual. Hold off on the autopilot engagement until you manually check pitch and roll stability, and verify yaw response before you turn on the yaw damper. Are the cabin pressure and temperature holding as they should be - with no extra outflow noises and vents working normally? Is power responding as usual as altitude increases, windows staying clear, all engine parameters as expected? Engage autopilot modes incrementally; first switch on yaw damping, then turn on basic roll control to see if it works before using pitch hold, then altitude preselect and finally nav tracking. At level off, acceleration should be in line with previous observations, given the load and ISA, and noise perception should be normal, fuel flows as expected. Stay close to the MRO base until you’re satisfied that there are no glitches. Ask ATC for some maneuvering space if you need to cycle systems or check handling. Make notes of the stabilized performance and engine indications as well as the day’s air conditions. Finally, ask yourself: Does this aircraft meet my expectations for a passenger-carrying trip across hostile terrain? Am I feeling or observing anything out of the ordinary that needs further attention? A descent for a non-passenger landing is a good time to see how the navigation and flight control systems handle a fullycoupled approach despite the visual conditions; don’t waste the opportunity. Test your finely-tuned precision landing ability, apply maximum brak-
ing to see if it works, and note the fuel and engine readings at shutdown. You are a vital part of the maintenance team. Hopefully, your report to the shop is that all went well with no residual write-ups. But don’t just say it was “A-ok!” Give them some specific feedback, as they may have requested. How good did the engines run after their work? What was the time to climb? What did the environmental system do? Rather than sending the plane back with complaints, give them some facts to work with. The first flight after a maintenance visit needs to be conducted differently than a routine company trip. It’s an opportunity to contribute your skills as a pilot, and to act as the final inspector for the work that was done.
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SAFETY
During ground checks or going over a checklist, a safe pilot is always learning.
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SAFETY SENSE
I WISH THE COMPUTER WAS ALWAYS RIGHT
Michael GrĂźninger and Carl Norgren point out hard-to-spot errors in flight planning systems
Something is Wrong Here he crew had settled into the cruise at FL360. They were on a short flight from Berlin to London. Before starting the passenger announcement, the commander requested a weather update for their destination. The ACARS printer sprang into action and soon he held the METAR and TAF for destination and three destination alternates in his hands. The weather seemed to have changed markedly. Or was his memory of the early morning briefing playing a trick on him. It had been an early check-in and two hours had passed since he had reviewed the weather reports in the briefing room with his first officer. He asked the first officer for the flight documents folder. The weather reports for London Heathrow still contained his hand written highlights. The
T
CROSSCHECK
Pilots detect errors by comparing computerproduced flight plans to their notes from briefing.
and how they may result in inappropriate decision-making putting the flight at risk
reports and forecasts were as he remembered them. But the freshly printed ACARS weather report told a completely different story. The visibility was better, the cloud base higher, the wind direction and the temperature were markedly different. Such changes in such a short time frame were highly unusual and unlikely. He checked the date stamp of the METAR and the TAF on both reports. They were correct. The commander brought the discrepancy to the attention of his first officer. Together they could both not resolve this discrepancy and decided to cross-check the weather report with Volmet. The first officer tuned VHF2 to the Volmet frequency and waited for their destination to be reported. He wrote down the weather as transmitted and handed it to the commander. The Volmet weather report matched the ACARS report. By elimination, they decided to use the
ACARS reports and to disregard the weather reports contained in the flight briefing package. The commander was concerned about the obviously incorrect weather report in the flight briefing package and decided to send a short message via ACARS to operations informing them of the discrepancies found. At operations, the report of erroneous weather briefing information created a stir. A number of weather briefing packages were cross-checked. Some were correct and some were erroneous. The pattern seemed random and there was no way to know which weather briefing package was correct and which was erroneous. The system vendor was contacted and started investigating. In the meantime, all flight crews were alerted to doublecheck their weather briefing packages with weather information from other sources until further notice.
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The system vendor, whose head office was in a different time zone, soon discovered the source of the error. As with most flight planning system vendors offering flight planning and weather briefing data, the vendor pulled weather data from a single provider, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US. A misconfigured access link in the software of the vendor had caused the vendor to extract data from a database which the NOAA thought was no longer in use and hence was no longer updated. It therefore contained both ‘outdated’ and current weather reports and forecast. The story described above is based an actual occurrence at a major European carrier. Had it not been for a vigilant crew, no one might have recognized this latent systemic risk and mitigated it before it impacted the safety of flight. Hard-to-spot Errors The more flight planning and crew briefing systems are interconnected, the more interfaces exist. Each interface has the potential to induce errors. Flight planning systems often have numerous interfaces to different databases and hence have numerous potentials for erroneous data to be transmitted from one system to another. Computer systems are not inherently smart. They do not actually ‘know’ things. They only process information. If incorrect information is fed in, then the output will also be incorrect. We all know about this weakness of computerized products. And yet, we often forget about it and tend to trust what is provided by smart-looking hardware and fancy graphics. Sometimes the future failure of the system is designed into the actual output. In our current weather data mix-up case, both METAR and TAF contained a date stamp. The date stamp consisted only of ‘day of the month’ and time. The weather report supplied to the crew had the correct ‘day of the month’. The data, though, was from the previous month. Had the month been included in the date stamp, the error would have been quickly spotted by the crew.
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Safety-relevant Data The integrity of data, be it weather data, navigation data, obstacle data, weight and balance data etc. is vitally important for the safety of flight. Most operators, both airlines and business aircraft operators, procure such data from a number of different third party providers. Such providers must be qualified according to the standards laid down in DO-178C (FAA) / ED-12C (EUROCAE) containing software considerations in airborne systems and equipment certification. In the case of navigation data stringent regulatory requirements (EASA: CAT.IDE.A.355) ensure that the operator actually verifies the integrity, consistency, completeness and correctness of such data. Due to the dynamic nature of such data and the volume of data, any integrity check cannot cover 100 percent of the data at all points in time. Instead, such checks are usually based on sporadic or regular sampling of the data to discover gross errors. The operator, however, is not legally required to systematically check other data - such a weather data, obstacle data and terrain data. To sum it up; any data used to plan and execute a flight is safety critical. Using erroneous data at the outset of a flight may well result in inappropriate decision-making and may well put the flight at risk.
Beware of Data No pilot can assume that data used is 100 percent correct. In the case of the erroneous weather data case described in this Safety Sense, the crew did cross-check the quality of the data received. Luckily, the weather data procured via ACARS did not come from the same source as the weather data in the flight briefing package. A third independent data source (Volmet) helped to assess which data was correct. The computer is not always right. It is unavoidable that discrepancies in data will occur. Any discrepancy found between data from various sources must be reported. It takes mindfulness to discover discrepancies and it takes self-discipline to write and submit a report. Without flight crew vigilance and feedback, errors might go undetected and jeopardize flight safety.
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Michael R. Grüninger is managing director of Great Circle Services (GCS) Safety Solutions and Capt. Carl C. Norgren is a freelance contributor to Safety Sense. 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 since 2007.
KEY
Flight planning involves mapping out all of the criteria, materials and routes of a flight.
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MRO
TEXTRON ADDS CAPACITY AND CAPABILITIES TO ITS CUSTOMER SERVICE
Not only has Textron Aviation reshaped its customer services organization to better serve owners of Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft, it has also created new factory-direct coverage programs, Volker K. Thomalla reports
T
extron Aviation, the company that combines two of the bestknown brands in General and Business Aviation – Cessna Aircraft and Beechcraft – is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world in terms of units. In fact, the Wichita, Kansas-based Cessna Aircraft Company alone has delivered nearly 7000 Citation Business jets. Needless to say, to service these aircraft, the company owns and operates 21 service centers throughout the world and has qualified nearly 200 independent MRO facilities as authorized service facilities. When Beechcraft was bought by Textron in 2014, it quickly became evident that it makes no sense to operate two different customer service organizations within one company. Today, the challenging process of bringing these two entities together is successfully completed. Serving Europe In Europe, where more than 1600 Citations, Hawkers and King Airs are based, Textron Aviation has factory owned service centers in Doncaster, United Kingdom; Düsseldorf, Germany; Paris, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Valencia, Spain, and Zurich, Switzerland. The service centers in Prague and in Valencia are shared facilities with Bell Helicopters, another Textron company. In addition to the service centers, Textron Aviation also operates line maintenance facilities in Europe. The latest addition to this is a facility in Bremen in Northern Germany, which was only opened at the end of April 2016 and which is operated in cooperation with Lufthansa. “Offering line maintenance at Bremen is further evi-
STRENGTHEN
Textron fortifies its European support: Dusseldorf, Germany (left). Paris Le Bourget (right).
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MRO tooling and fully equipped to maintain an aircraft are also part of Textron Aviation’s support service. The mobile service units (MSU) are strategically located in the US and in Europe to react quickly to any maintenance needs. Textron also positions them at events where a number of customers are expected to come with their own aircraft.
dence of the significant investment we’ve made in our service network in Germany and throughout Europe,” says Brad Thress, senior vice president of Customer Service at Textron Aviation. “From the addition of a dedicated support aircraft to the expansion of our service center authorizations, the level of factory-direct support solutions we offer is unmatched in the industry.” Other line maintenance bases in Europe are in Cannes, France; Luton, UK; Stuttgart, Germany; Nice, France, and Geneva, Switzerland, with the latter two are operated on a seasonal basis from June to August. The company has over 400 employees in Europe, including engineers, service technicians, field service representatives and sales representatives.
SECURITY
Pre-Buy Assurance presents incentive for both buyers and sellers, says Kriya Shortt, SVP Sales and Marketing (center).
Nothing to Spare Having spare parts at the right time and in the right location is mandatory for the success of customer support – and Textron has parts worth US$1.5 billion in stock. The primary spare parts hub is based in Wichita, Kansas, which feeds three distribution centers. The Düsseldorf Citation Service Center is home to Textron’s European parts distribution center. With over 225,000 parts, it is the second largest parts facility within Textron Aviation. “90 Percent of the parts that we have in stock in Wichita are in stock in Düsseldorf too,” says Thress. “Düsseldorf is a kind of ‘little Wichita’ in this sense.” Every part in the company’s inventory has already gone through customs in the European Union and can be shipped without delay within the EU. Processing parts through customs have been a cause for delays in the
past and is still a challenge in some parts of the world. Spare parts are shipped from Düsseldorf via the big logistics companies or via airlines from counter to counter to wherever they are needed. In cases where there is no adequate airline or cargo connection, Textron Aviation is flying parts in a company owned and operated Cessna Citation CJ3 – the Air Response Team ART – from Düsseldorf to its destination. The aircraft is permanently based in Düsseldorf. It is the third of its kind in Textron Aviation’s Customer Service and the first one in Europe. Better yet, customers don’t have to pay extra for this service. In AOG situations, the twinjet is also used to fly mechanics to the aircraft on the ground to get it back in the air as soon as possible. According to Thress, the European CJ3 has been to places like Greenland and Moscow. Textron also offers the aircraft to its customers who are affected by an AOG mishap to fly them to their destinations or to pick up customers to bring them to the service centers. More than 60 trucks with specialized
Got You Covered In late April, Textron launched three new factory-direct coverage programs: Pre-Buy Assurance, Extended Care and King Air Direct. “The added security of the Pre-Buy Assurance program presents an exclusive incentive for both buyers and sellers of Citation, King Air and Hawker aircraft,” says Kriya Shortt, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. Under the Pre-Buy Assurance, Textron will carry out a pre-buy inspection and offer a factory-backed protection for six months. Customers who enroll in the Extended Care program can receive factory-direct coverage from Textron company-owned service centers or by mobile service units for up to two years. King Air Direct is a factory-direct coverage plan for King Air operators looking to reduce their direct operating costs. Through this program, customers gain a comprehensive support program that can significantly reduce parts and labor expenses for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance events. In January, Textron Aviation Service launched 1Call, a single point of contact service for its customers during unscheduled maintenance events. The phone number +1 (316) 517-2090 is available 24/7. “Our enhanced call center means simplified, quick access to Textron Aviation’s customer service team for our owners needing immediate support. From the initial call to progress reports to after service follow-up, customers will encounter a streamlined process and a level of service that you get only from Textron Aviation,” says Brad Thress. “Customers calling this dedicated line will be able to receive prioritized technical support, order expedited parts, have alternative lift quickly dispatched, and even schedule a mobile service unit.”
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