EXECUJETINTRO
A PERFECT FIT "A BRAND MUST BE IMPROVED EVERY SINGLE DAY" – EDUARDO FAGLIANO, MAKER OF POLO BOOTS, ARGENTINA
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WELCOME ONCE AGAIN TO EXECUJET’S INFLIGHT MAGAZINE. It is a privilege that we are allowed to entertain you and share our ideas with you yet once again. This issue will introduce you to two further ExecuJet regions — Australasia and Latin America. We are looking into the work of a bustling Casino in Sydney, as well as the quiet, laid-back business of a bespoke bootmaker just outside of Buenos Aires. In a manner of speaking, this stretch symbolises what we are trying to achieve everyday at the ExecuJet Aviation Group. We aspire to be visible and contemporary, but at the same time we want to deliver first-class, customer-focused services in whatever we do. We follow the bootmaker Fagliano’s philosophy in saying that a “perfect fit can only be judged by the wearer” and we are aiming to find this fit for our clients in all our ExecuJet regions worldwide. For the craftsmen, as much as for us, each product must be perfect for the user. That is the best advertisement. We are excited to be offering our products and services during the upcoming Olympic Games in London. Our facilities are ready for the many visitors to come this way, and this issue of the ExecuJet Inflight Magazine will be there to greet them. May the best team win! Niall Olver CEO ExecuJet Aviation Group
How to Empower Your Brand. branders.ch
EXECUJET CONTENT
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ontents 03 2
INTRODUCTION
A Perfect Fit 5
GOING FOR GOLD
ExecuJet Gears Up For The Olympics 7
A BRAND MAKES HISTORY
de Sede Bespoke Furniture 8
EXECUJET LOCATIONS
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CASA FAGLIANO
Handmade Boots For The Sport Of Kings 12
THE STAR OF SYDNEY
The City’s Newest Hostpot 14
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NEWS SNIPPETS
New & Exclusive 20
WINGS
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WINGS OF CHANGE
Cessna’s Citation Latitude 28
RIDING HIGH
The Sky Car Dream Comes (Almost) True 34
THE LONG WAY DOWN
BASE Jump From The Edge Of Space 38
RUNWAY CANVAS
Personalised Aircraft Livery 42
SKY OPENER
Indonesia Gets Ready For Business Aviation 46
FANTASY FLIGHT
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JETS! CAMERA! ACTION!
The Human-Powered Gossamer Albatross Movie Props Take Flight 54
ON A SUIT AND A PRAYER
What’s Next For The Birdman? 58
GOODWILL BLIMP
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CAPTAIN SPEAKING
An Airship With A Mission How Difficult Can It Be? 4
EXECUJET
ADVERTORIAL EXECUJET FBO SERVICES — 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
GOING FOR GOLD EXECUJET’S FBO AT LONDON CAMBRIDGE AIRPORT PREPARES FOR THE 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS
EXECUJET’S FULL-SERVICE FIXED BASE OPERATION (FBO) at London Cambridge Airport, UK, has been fully operational since 1 January 2012 and is now gearing up for the 2012 Olympic games, which are coming to London this summer. Located just 20 minutes from Central London by helicopter or 45 minutes by rail or road, London Cambridge airport serves as an excellent alternative to other London Airports or as a gateway to the North of England. Cambridge also provides an excellent access point to the extensive local industrial, technological, scientific and business communities — especially for travellers to and from the US, as it avoids Central London’s busy airspace. The state-of-the-art FBO includes executive passenger
lounges, boardroom facilities and dedicated crew facilities, with WiFi available throughout and complimentary refreshments for both passengers and crew. Private airside vehicle access for executive cars enables easy access to business jets and helicopter charters. The facility also offers 24/7 capability with no slot or noise restrictions and generous hangar space. There is also parking for up to 90 aircraft available at the airport. The FBO offers many services including fuelling, parking and maintenance, as well as FBO support services such as catering, discounted hotel rates for crew and VIP Limousine Service. ExecuJet has made necessary arrangements with both hotels and ground transportation to satisfy increased demand during the Olympic period.
FBO Services available at Cambridge Airport t t t t t t t t t t t t
VIP flight handling Two full-service passenger lounges Boardroom and VIP offices including WiFi and projector Parking and hangar space Fuelling (provided through Cambridge airport) Aircraft catering Separate crew lounge Patrolled 24-hour security Ground transportation Private airside vehicle access for executive cars 24/7 slot allocation during the 2012 Olympic period 24/7 assistance on request
Contact details of Cambridge Airport ExecuJet UK LTD Cambridge Airport T: +44 1 223 373214 fbo.egsc@execujet.eu
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EXECUJET CONTENT
ontents
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LUXE
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TIME TESTED
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COMPLEX EQUATIONS
Abraham-Louis Breguet’s Indelible Legacy Baselworld 2012 Top Picks 72
MULTI-FACETED
Laurence Graff — Diamonds And Africa
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POWERFUL PLAY
Vienna’s Celebrated Lipizzaner Horses 80
STEINWAY OF THE SEAS
Custom Gentlemen’s Runabouts
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FUTURE METAL
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CREATIVE CLASSICS
MAcarbon Dresses Up Supercars Shoemakers On Savile Row 90
BESPOKE CANVAS
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CLEAR EXPRESSION
Moynat Trunks’ Renaissance Daum Crystal Art 96
LIFE
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SUITE TAIPEI
Tranquil Suites In A Fast-Rising City 104 ISLE BEFORE TIME
Eco Conservation In The Seychelles 108 EXTREME CUISINE
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Deconstructed Chinese Food 110
LEGENDS TO LIFE
Indian Wealth — Outside India 112
DESERT CHILL
Winter Fashion In Namibia 118
AMBIGUITY OF SCALE
Abstraction From The Air 125 AIRBORNE 128 EYES ON THE DRAGON
ABACE 2012 In Shanghai 130 BRIEFING
Business Aviation In Brief 138 PLANE SPEAK
Aviation Glossary 142 AIR SHOW DIARY 144 TAILHOOK
Fast & Curious 6
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ADVERTORIAL DE SEDE
A BRAND MAKES HISTORY DE SEDE HAS BEEN SHAPING THE WORLD OF FURNISHING FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS
WHAT MAKES DE SEDE FURNITURE SO DIFFERENT? What is the source of its inimitable effect, of its exclusivity? It is the subtle marriage of traditional Swiss craftsmanship, uncompromising devotion to detail and the contemporary elegance of its lines. Since 1965, this has been the philosophy behind every piece of de Sede furniture, thanks to whose character every room it graces becomes something truly unique. It was this that resulted in a small yet highly skilled saddler’s workshop, giving birth to the exclusive de Sede furniture brand, which is today renowned throughout the world.
IT IS OUR GOAL THAT PEOPLE SHOULD ENJOY THE PLEASURE OF OUR FURNITURE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME But despite this growth and the acclaim the company enjoys far beyond the borders of Switzerland, they have always remained true to themselves: a specialist furniture maker who focuses on small series production and individualised solutions. And an expert in the art of exquisite leatherwork. Each model they create is conceived to be a symbol for its time, while also possessing a level of quality which imbues it with an agelessness that secures it a firm place in the annals of design history. This is what gives every item of de Sede furniture its unique and lasting value. www.desede.ch
The multi-functional, caterpillar inspired DS-600 sofa is evidence of de Sede’s design flexibility Ergonomic seating comfort, elegant shapes and versatility are the winning attributes of de Sede chairs Execujet FBOs in Zurich (shown above), Berlin and Frankfurt use de Sede furniture
de Sede has been creating premium-quality leather furniture for an international market since 1965. The original skilled craftsman’s workshop has grown to become a company with over 1,000 trading partners in more than 100 countries around the globe. Contact de Sede AG Oberes Zelgli 2 5313 Klingnau, Switzerland Fon. +41 56 268 01 11 Fax. +41 56 268 01 21
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CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Rebecca Morris DEPUTY EDITOR Katrina Balmaceda AVIATION EDITOR Rainer Sigel ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Sylvia Weimer (Spacelab Design, Sydney) EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sandy Tan
CONTRIBUTORS Madeleine Adamson, Kee Hua Chee, Bernard Cheong Jim Gregory, Jeff Heselwood, Liz Moscrop, Roger Norum Nida Seah, Jim Simon, Fawn Soon, Alex Unruh, Alvin Wong COMPANY PUBLISHER Rainer Sigel MANAGING DIRECTOR Michelle Tay SENIOR MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Jaime Lim CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION MANAGER Caroline Rayney OFFICE MANAGER Winnie Lim MARKETING ASSISTANT Anne Goh
CONTACT 12 Prince Edward Road, #04-10B Bestway Building, Podium B, Singapore 079212 T: +65 6222 1415 F: +65 6222 1465 EMAILS ADVERTISING business@oriental-publishing.com EDITORIAL subeditor@oriental-publishing.com CIRCULATION circulation@oriental-publishing.com ADMINISTRATION office@oriental-publishing.com WEBSITES MAGAZINE www.jetgala.com GROUP www.orientalmediagroup.com SINGAPORE www.oriental-publishing.com VIETNAM www.oriental-ltd.com DIGITAL EDITIONS & DOWNLOADS www.digital.jetgala.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.jetgala.com (Luxury News) LINKEDIN www.linkedin.jetgala.com (Aviation News) TWITTER www.twitter.jetgala.com (Aviation News) RSS www.rss.jetgala.com (Aviation News) EXECUJET JETGALA is a special edition of JETGALA and is published in cooperation with JETGALA and distributed globally, including on aircraft operated by the companies of the ExecuJet Aviation Group. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily endorsed by the Publisher. COPYRIGHT AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NOTICE: All rights, including copyright and all other intellectual property rights, in, out of and to the content of this publication are owned or controlled by ExecuJet Aviation Group AG, Switzerland, respectively by Oriental Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore, as applicable. You are not permitted to, by any means or technology including without limitation any electronic means, copy, broadcast, upload, download, store in any medium, transmit, show or play in public, adapt or change in any way the content of this publication or any part thereof for any purpose whatsoever without the prior written permission of ExecuJet Aviation Group AG, Switzerland, respectively of Oriental Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore, as applicable. TRADEMARKS NOTICE: The masthead logo ‘JETGALA’ is a Registered Trademark of Oriental Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore. The logo ‘EXECUJET AVIATION’ and ‘EXECUJET AVIATION GROUP’ and the words ‘ExecuJet’, ‘ExecuJet Aviation’ and ‘ExecuJet Aviation Group’, in whatever form are Registered Trademarks of ExecuJet Aviation Group AG, Switzerland, and/or of its subsidiaries. The rights and title to other logos and trademarks contained in this publication are the rights and title of the respective title holders. All rights to their respective Registered Trademarks are cumulatively reserved by Oriental Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore, respectively by ExecuJet Aviation Group AG, Switzerland, as applicable. The protection of all rights will be pursued to the full extent of the law. Printed by KHL Printing Co, Singapore MICA/060/04/2012
PHOTO CREDITS COVER Photography: Adrian Bela Raba, Styling: Oliver Rauh
Hair and makeup: Ilka Müller for Gloss Agency Model: Jude Nabney for Ice Models, Assistant: Michael Fuhr Post production: Martina van Ghemen Design SECTION OPENER WINGS Image courtesy of Cessna Aircraft Company SECTION OPENER LUXE Image courtesy of Hacker Boat Company, Inc SECTION OPENER LIFE Image courtesy of Frégate Island Private SECTION OPENER AIRBORNE Image courtesy of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp
www.orientalmediagroup.com 8
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EXECUJET LOCATIONS FEATURED IN THIS EDITION ExecuJet Aviation Group Head Office Zurich ExecuJet Europe AG ExecuJet Aviation Centre PO Box 1 8058 Zurich-Airport Switzerland Tel: +41 44 804 1616 Fax: +41 44 804 1617 enquiries@execujet.eu
ExecuJet Australia Pty Ltd Sydney Hangar 394 Ross Smith Avenue Mascot NSW 2020 Australia Tel: +61 2 9693 0800 Fax: +61 2 9693 0880 enquiries@execujet.com.au
ExecuJet UK Ltd Cambridge Airport Newmarket Road Cambridge CB5 8RX United Kingdom Tel: +44 1 223 373214 Fax: +44 1 223 373833 fbo.egsc@execujet.eu
ExecuJet Mexico S de R.L de C.V Mexico General Mariano Escobedo International Airport PO Box 11 Apodaca N.L CP66600 Mexico Tel: +52 81 8369 0909 Fax: +52 81 8369 9756 enquiries@execujetmexico.com
For all our regional contacts please go to our website:
www.execujet.net
FAGLIANO BOOTS
CASA FAGLIANO ARGENTINE BOOTMAKERS FOR THE SPORT OF KINGS
T
he modern age is founded on the principle that speed matters above all else. Vast numbers of people and stupendous quantities of goods and products can be transported around the world in hours. Information on all subjects can be accessed in seconds, at any location. Did your client just send you an important e-mail? You’d better have a device in your pocket that lets you know, and a ready answer within minutes so they don’t take their business elsewhere. How quickly can you deliver? How soon can you be here? What are you thinking right now? No sooner has a thought formed inside an individual’s head then it can be sent out to an expectant world via Facebook or Twitter. And while there are doubtless several advantages in terms of efficiency and convenience to the way we hurriedly conduct our affairs, there are times when we long to slow down. To sit with a book under a tree where no electronic sound will disturb us. Fortunately, there are still some people in the world who like to work the old-fashioned way, and their customers are all the more grateful for that.
The Casa Fagliano is a small, family-run cobbler that, for over a century, has been operating its business from the same workshop in a suburb of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. In the early part of the 20th century, they acquired a reputation for quality polo boots. Today, if you order a pair of their globally famous, custom-made footwear, you might have to wait up to six months for delivery. And don’t expect to go online and click a button to place an order. You’ll need to send your personal measurements or, better still, visit the unassuming workshop in Hurlingham and have one of the Fagliano family use a ball-point pen to make an outline of your foot. That’s the way Prince Harry, third in line to the English throne, did it. And if it’s good enough for royalty, it should be good enough for anyone. “Most of our customers come to our workshop at least once,” says Héctor Fagliano, whose great-grandfather came from Italy to found the company 120 years ago. Everything that previous generations brought with them has remained in the family — the name, the business, the expertise, and even the hardware. “We still use sewing machines — Singer, >>
All Casa Fagliano images by Marco Vernaschi for The Brander: www.thebrander.com
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CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS BORN OF QUALITY, PRECISION AND PERFECTION >> Dürkopp — that are 80 years old,” he adds. “Our oldest sewing machine is over 100 years old.” Why fix something that isn’t broken? Fagliano makes some small concessions to modern technology. They use the computer “to support our customers via e-mail and the website”, he admits. But when it comes to the craftsmanship involved with designing and cobbling a perfectly tailored boot, “the techniques are still the same. I suppose the processes have been improved with the years. But our ancestors arrived in Argentina with shoemaking in their blood, and transmitted the craftsmanship to their sons and grandsons. I think that each generation has improved the business in a unique way.” Another concession the company makes to impatience is a line of ready-made zipper polo boots “for customers who can’t wait for a custom made pair”, says Fagliano. But even these are usually just a temporary
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measure while they wait for the “boots of a lifetime”. In the meantime, you might wonder, why does it take so long to make a pair of riding boots? The first reason, says Fagliano, is “the huge quantity of orders”. There are seven people working in the Casa Fagliano, and nothing is rushed. “Everyone knows the entire process of making a pair of boots. However, each one is dedicated to a specific part. Like a soccer team.” So even when there’s a glut in demand, the firm can hardly just take on a dozen new workers and expect them to know how to operate pre-World War II sewing machines. Learning true expertise is a gradual process, and the latest
generation of Fagliano, represented by Héctor’s 24-year-old son Germán, has been accruing knowledge and skill over the course of several years, at the same time picking up a degree in business administration. The second reason for the long wait is, of course, the process of actually making the boot. The main stages are cutting the leather, then sewing and putting together the various pieces. Next comes the shaping of the foot, using the customer’s personal measurements, followed by finishing the sole. The final step is polishing, and then adding any personal touches at the request of the customer, such as embroidered initials or a personalised logo.
OPPOSITE PAGE Each custom-ordered boot made at Casa Fagliano is designed and tailored from scratch THIS PAGE, CLCOKWISE FROM TOP The object of desire: a perfectly manufactured, monogrammed polo boot, originally made for the Sultan of Brunei, stands proudly at its place of birth The Casa Fagliano’s modest façade belies the decades of craftsmanship and quality that have built the family-run firm an international reputation A gallery of photographs shows members of the family and their clients, reflecting the close family bonds over five generations that have helped Casa Fagliano survive and thrive www.fagliano.com.ar
One of the advantages of making genuine quality goods in an era of cheap, mass-produced imitations is that Casa Fagliano never needs to advertise itself to attract business. Despite its modest premises in an out-of-the-way location, its reputation for impeccably high standards means that customers find their own way to its outpost in a part of town that was founded by British engineers who settled in Argentina in the 19th century. And it was an English polo player seeking repairs to his boots in the 1920s that first set the Casa Fagliano on the polo path. He was so impressed by the repairs that he came back and ordered brand new ones. This set the trend that persists until today, with celebrity names like the abovementioned English prince, the Sultan of Brunei (who once placed a mass order for more than 100 pairs of boots), actor Tommy Lee Jones, and polo star Adolfo Cambiaso finding their way to the workshop, as though lured by the smell of the leather and the tanning process, and the authentic sound of brass nails
being hammered into handcrafted soles. “We survive because our work is unique,” says Fagliano. “There is not a single company or corporation that can manufacture the boots we make, taking care of every customer’s special details. We believe that a 100 per cent satisfied customer will do our advertising for us.” That customer satisfaction, we suggest, is born of quality, precision and perfection. “You should add excellence to those three words,” says Fagliano. “We believe that you have to do your best to get a perfect product, to be precise with your customer’s need, and deliver the quality each customer deserves and demands.” Those are old-fashioned concepts subscribed to by perhaps only a small percentage of modern businesses. But Casa Fagliano is testimony to the success of an approach that eschews the demand for instant gratification in favour of a meticulous process that stresses the importance of a carefully conceived and durable product. For those of us who can afford to wait, patience will be rewarded.
EXECUJET LATIN AMERICA ExecuJet has been operating in Mexico since 2002 and has offices in Monterrey and Toluca. ExecuJet has undergone incredible growth in the region over the last two years with the number of managed aircraft and charter sales still increasing. A new 5,000-sq m facility will be opened in July this year followed by an FBO in Monterrey. ExecuJet Mexico´s experienced team of aviation professionals is pleased to offer both new and pre-owned aircraft sales, aircraft charter, aircraft management and completions consulting. www.execujet.net
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THE STAR
THE STAR OF SYDNEY MORE THAN JUST A CASINO
O
nce simply a playground for gamblers and high rollers, casinos are now transforming themselves into one-stop-shop entertainment complexes and ‘must see’ tourist attractions — with Sydney recently revealing its own new jewel in the crown. Place your bets on The Star, the staggering leisure and pleasure development that overlooks Sydney Harbour, becoming one of the top attractions of the Emerald City. On the surface, The Star barely seems like a casino at all. Last year it completed massive renovations and re-opened without the word ‘casino’ in its title (it used to be the Star City Casino). Its publicity material very much aims to draw the visitor in with its panoramic views, deluxe suites, reams of restaurants, and party atmosphere. This past spring, it cut the ribbon on Sydney’s biggest nightclub, Marquee, which stretches out over the building’s entire top floor. Larry Mullin, the CEO of The Star’s owners, Echo Entertainment, has defended the casino’s reputation in the face of criticism and some recent negative publicity. “There’s a difference between how we have
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been perceived and what we are doing here,” he told Australian media this past March. “Yes, we are a casino, but we are something that is very much in the forefront for tourism.” Mullin pointed out that 80 per cent of the money invested in the renovations had been aimed at nongambling areas. Indeed, some online guest reviewers have emphasised the complex’s prime location and the overall experience of visiting The Star, and wrote that they never actually visited the casino while there. The venue was previously known as a place to gamble, and the stakes were relatively cheap. As Mullin put it, “When I showed up here, there was duct tape keeping the carpet together.” The casino complex’s rebirth as The Star is clearly aimed at pushing what it offers towards a new market, while its expanded dining and drinking options caters to a wide range of tastes and budgets. The rooms in its luxury boutique hotel, The Darling, or its suites in the Astral Tower, offer harbour views from generous windows and are fitted with every conceivable amenity. Its 20 restaurants cover the world — from traditional Italian cuisine at Balla, which
has a wood-fired grill and an aperitif bar with harbour views, to ‘Australian contemporary’ at the Black by Ezard restaurant, where you won’t just be served roast duck, you’ll get it with ‘Daikon radish, plum vinegar, and spiced ginger purée’. Throughout The Star, the philosophy has clearly been one of innovation. Sokyo is not just a Japanese restaurant, it’s “where the buzz of Tokyo meets a Sydney beat”. That is, you’ll eat tuna sashimi with plum wine jelly while chilling out to sounds played by a resident DJ. And if you’re in the mood for more than chilling out, there’s the aforementioned Marquee. The club, which was opened with great ceremony on a night when Will.i.am of the Black-Eyed Peas guested as DJ and the city’s most famous, beautiful and notorious people turned out to be seen, boasts almost 20,000 square feet of floor space, and embraces three separate spaces depending on your mood and your taste. The Marquee’s main room has a stage and two dance floors, while a ‘library style room’ (presumably a library, but with no actual books) offers what The Star terms “an intimate lounge
EXECUJET AUSTRALASIA
OPPOSITE PAGE The Star has been reinvented as one-stop complex for shopping, dining, entertainment and vacations THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT The Rock Lily, a live music hub with a huge stock of “the world’s most sought-after tequilas” The Darling’s Jewel Suite is great for entertaining, with a wet bar and a living area separate from the king-size bedroom www.star.com.au
THE COMPLEX HAS ROOMS IN A LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL, THE DARLING, SUITES IN THE ASTRAL TOWER, AND TWENTY RESTAURANTS THAT COVER THE WORLD experience”. Beyond that is the Boom Box, with another DJ, sound system, and an outdoor patio, plus a chill-out area with views of the Sydney skyline and a unisex ‘bathroom lounge’, perhaps more intimate still than the Library. The club is being operated jointly with the Tao Group, and local media reported that it had lured several staff away from other city night clubs in a bid to turn it into Sydney’s premier night spot. “The thing with Marquee is that it’s huge — so much bigger than any other club in Sydney,” an ‘insider’ was quoted as saying by the Courier Mail. Therefore the club was
looking to employ the best and most experienced staff, as well as using social media and word of mouth, to make sure the space was filled. “As anyone who has ever run a nightclub will tell you,” the insider continued, “people will leave if it seems empty.” That’s not something that The Star will be able to bear given the reported investment of around USD1 billion in its renaissance. But if it can attract a mix of tourists, revelers and famously keen Australian gamblers while maintaining the new standards that its refurbishments suggest, then its longterm survival should be assured.
In Australasia, ExecuJet delivers tailored aviation services including sales and acquisitions, management, charter, maintenance, SimplyFly, completions management, fixed base operations and aircraft spare parts from strategically located facilities in Australia, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as New Zealand, Wellington. The region’s charter fleet based in Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, Perth, Darwin and Singapore represents the latest in modern technology and flexibility ranging from narrow-body to wide-body aircraft. All aircraft are administered under the most stringent safety standards and comply with the latest regulatory requirements reflecting ExecuJet’s uncompromising commitment to safety. ExecuJet’s highly trained professional staff offer total peace of mind ensuring a seamless, discreet and efficient first class service. www.execujet.net
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ODE TO ENZO The Museo Ferrari is an interactive space where one can immerse in the Ferrari legend. It displays vintage cars, race cars and sports car prototypes. Helmets and trophies in the Hall of Victories tell the story of the Scuderia team and its champion racers. Patrons can also visit the recently launched Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, which commemorates founder Enzo Ferrari’s life and work, and also displays 20 cars. The museum is located in Ferrari’s hometown of Modena on the site of his former house. Its distinctive curved yellow roof recalls a sports car hood and was designed by the late Czech architect Jan Kaplický. www.galleria.ferrari.com | www.museocasaenzoferrari.it
EXECUJET MIDDLE EAST CELEBRATES THE SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ISTANBUL FBO ExecuJet marked the six month anniversary of its FBO Services in Istanbul in March. During this time, the facility, which offers services in cooperation with Bilen Air Service, has grown significantly and now handles around 800 movements a year. Aircraft visiting have been as large as the Embraer Lineage and Airbus A320, highlighting the company’s capability to handle the full range of business aircraft from small to large cabin aircraft.
(L-R) Mark Hardman, Operations Director ExecuJet Middle East, Ayca Kocabas, Station Manager Istanbul, Tolga Asan, Assist GM Bilen
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REAL ILLUSION The X-Trem 1 by Christophe Claret displays time in unconventional forms. A flying tourbillon is mounted at 30 degrees on a three-dimensional curvex titanium mainplate. Powered by two miniature magnets held together by thin cables, minutes and hours are indicated by two four-mm diameter hollow steel spheres on the left and right sides of the caseband. The timepiece has 64 jewels and a power reserve of 50 hours. It is limited to eight pieces and is available in white gold, rose gold and platinum models. www.christopheclaret.com
MUSIC CENTRAL With La Boite Concept’s LD120 docking station for laptops and music players, one can enjoy high-fidelity sound from any point in a room. Its Wide Stereo Sound system, with front-side baffles and sub-woofer, filters noise while its seven speakers and compact amplifier achieve the effect of larger speaker systems. Eight-layer piano-lacquer finish and a natural leather desk pad suppress vibration. The LD120 is available in pure or matt black, pure white, bright red, and dark or light greyw. www.laboiteconcept.com
HYBRID NATURE
The Pininfarina Cambiano extended-range, plug-in, concept sports sedan sits in line with most luxury performing cars. If produced, the hybrid car will be powered by four electric motors and a Bladon Jets 50 kW micro turbine that runs primarily on diesel. In full electric mode, the car will achieve a 200 km range, while the combined range could stretch up to 800 km. Top speed will be 275 km/h. Sleek aesthetics for the concept include LED lights, a low vehicle floor made of recycled wood, and door panels made of sustainable plastics. www.pininfarina.com
TWO NEW FACILITIES FOR EXECUJET AUSTRALASIA The ExecuJet Aviation Group has opened two new Fixed Base Operation facilities (FBOs) in Australasia. The Wellington FBO, ExecuJet Aviation Group’s first facility in New Zealand, opened on 16 November 2011. This was followed by a new FBO in Melbourne, Australia on 18 November, complementing the Group’s established Melbourne MRO facility. Both new facilities will offer world-class passenger and crew FBO amenities. Experienced FBO staff will be able to provide technical assistance, flight planning, weather reports, catering, fuel and hotel accommodation.
TICKING TOWER David Linley’s Masterpiece watch tower houses eight watch winders within a box that rotates 180 degrees. The bespoke watch tower in Macassar ebony displays different time zones and names of cities in fine marquetry. With an understated elegance, the box is lined with rose gold along the lids and doors, and uses rose gold for the bezels. A secret compartment is located adjacent to a central watch roll. www.davidlinley.com
TWO AWARDS FOR EXECUJET MIDDLE EAST
Quintin Cairncross, Group Flight Operations Director
ExecuJet Middle East has won the Aviation Business Award 2011 as the ‘best business aviation operator’ in the region. The Aviation Business Award marks the second recognition for ExecuJet Middle East this year. Its maintenance division was awarded with the Bombardier Authorised Service Facility Excellence Award prior to the Dubai Airshow 2011. EXECUJET
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STOKE PARK HOTEL— BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UK Set among 350 acres of beautiful parkland and landscaped gardens, and only a 35-minute drive from Central London, seven miles from London Heathrow and 15 minutes from Eton Dorney Lake, the London Olympic 2012 Rowing venue, Stoke Park offers the most idyllic escape. It has luxurious traditional and contemporary accommodation, nine meeting and private entertainment rooms, a 27-hole Championship Golf Course designed by the legendary Harry Colt in 1908, the award-winning Stoke Park Spa and Salon, three restaurants (Humphrey’s — 2 AA Rosettes), first-class health and racquet facilities, a crèche, and much more. For more information, please visit www.stokepark.com
Regal Relic The pear-shaped, double-rose-cut Beau Sancy diamond weighs 34.98 carats and is part of more than 400 years of European history. Originating from the mines near Golconda, India, it was first acquired by Lord of Sancy, Constantinople in the 1500s. In 1604, Henri IV bought the diamond for his wife, the Queen of France, Marie de Médicis. The stone has since passed through the royal families of England, the House of Orange-Nassau and the House of Prussia, which currently owns it. Estimated to fetch USD2 to 4 million, the modified historical diamond will be auctioned in May by Sotheby’s Geneva. www.sothebys.com
EMBRAER LINEAGE 1000 JOINS EXECUJET CHARTER FLEET
EXECUJET SOUTH AFRICA RECEIVES ARGUS PLATINUM RATING ARGUS International, Inc recently awarded ExecuJet South Africa with the ARGUS Platinum Rating for 2012. ExecuJet Africa is the only operator to have received the Platinum Rating as a charter operator on the African continent. ARGUS International, Inc is the leading audit organisation for aircraft operators around the world. The Platinum Rating is ARGUS’ highest level of quality ratings and is awarded only to air charter operators who have demonstrated successful implementation of industry best safety practices relative to their operations and maintenance. 16
EXECUJET
In January 2012 the Embraer Lineage 1000 joined ExecuJet Middle East’s charter fleet. The Lineage 1000 is the largest and latest addition to the company’s fast-growing regional fleet of managed aircraft, taking its total to 22. The new 19-seat corporate airliner will be based in Dubai and will complement ExecuJet’s existing charter offering.
VIETNAM'S PREMIER LUXURY LIFESTYLE SHOW NOVEMBER 15-17, 2012
INTERCONTINENTAL ASIANA SAIGON
ORIENTAL EXHIBITIONS PTE LTD VIETNAM: event@oriental-ltd.com I Tel: +84.8 3844 1612 SINGAPORE: events@oriental-exhibitions.com I Tel: +65 6222 1415 WWW.SALONDELUXE.ASIA/VIETNAM
LOUNGE
RAGING MACHINE Pagani Automobili’s Huayra features a Mercedes AMG M158 V-12 twin turbocharged engine. It unleashes 700 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque, accelerating from 0 to 96.6 km/h (60 mph) in 3.2 seconds. Just as aggressive is its design, with aerodynamic gull wing doors cutting deep into the roof. Like its predecessor, the Zonda R, it is made of composite materials. P Zero bespoke tyres reduce carbon emissions and are able to withstand top speeds above 370 km/h. The Huayra recently launched at the Geneva Motor Show and will hit the road running in 2013. www.pagani.com
TASTE OF GOLD Gize gold-filtered mineral water is sourced from water in Spa Springs in Nova Scotia, Canada, which has passed through layers of rocks that formed 200 million years ago and achieved purification and mineralisation in the process. It is then gold-filtered by Gize. The non-alcoholic beverage comes in 0.2-litre and 0.75-litre glass bottles and in four flavours: lemonelderflower, raspberry-ginseng, pear-vinegar and pineapplecoconut. It is also available in still, non-carbonated and sparkling, carbonated versions. It is now available in South-east Asia, following its launch in Singapore at the Food & Hotel Asia trade show. www.gize.com
LIG HT UP
Architects Paper and Ingo Maurer have created the LED wallpaper, a non-woven wallpaper which features five repeating patterns. Each pattern contains 48 white, 60 blue and 60 red LED bulbs. The wallpaper is made of carded web material, printed on both sides. It has a connection unit which gives the user control over individual colour and respective brightness. Clients are also able to customise the wallpaper layout and colour. A LED bulb uses 90 per cent less energy than an ordinary light bulb and lasts 100,000 hours. www.ingo-maurer.com
ALL ACCESS The VIP Black application by iVIP Ltd connects iPhone and iPad users to a web of services, such as exclusive shopping, complimentary luxury hotel room upgrades, surprise gifts and booking of private jets and islands. The Millionaire’s App costs USD999.99. Prospective members are required to certify that they are high-net-worth individuals with assets or income exceeding GBP1 million. Approved members will then receive advice on how to manage their VIP lifestyles through the application. Clients may choose to extend their one-year membership to lifetime access. www.ivipworld.com 18
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STEALTHY MOVEMENTS Inspired by stealth technology used in advanced aircraft, the LeDIX Furtif mechanical mobile phone by Celsius is encased in carbon fibre and framed by wing patterns. It contains 700 mechanical parts and features an off-centred, shockabsorbant flying tourbillon. A patented mechanical hinge adds three hours to the watch’s 100-hour power reserve whenever one flips the phone open or closed. A choice of pink gold, platinum and black inserts are each available in eight-piece limited editions. www.celsius-x-vi-ii.com
LIVE LOUD
LI G HT ON WATER
Barracuda Yacht Design from Spain is introducing the 170 MYS, a 52-metre motor vessel based on the superstructure of a previous model, Alakam, where large windows let in abundant light and suite balconies open on either side. The 170 MYS boasts a performance-oriented design with a low-resistance hull, transferable water ballast and retractable dagger board. It can take up to 12 passengers, and features a VIP suite, internal and external lounges, four guest cabins on the lower deck, a fitness studio and a private pool at the rear. www.barracuda-yd.com
Philippe Starck has stamped his name on a whole spectrum of products, and recently he designed a bluetooth touch-activated ZIK headset for Parrot, a company that makes wireless devices for mobile phones. A gentle swipe of the ZIK’s touch panels allows users to forward or rewind songs, or increase the volume. Its presence-sensor system automatically sets the headset to standby mode once removed. Active noise cancelling and digital signal processing (DSP) systems produce a clear, concert-hall listening experience. NFC technology allows wireless transfer of music sources. www.parrot.com
SPEEDY STYLE The 10-metre Amare luxury motoryacht concept by Dawid Dawod is a contemporary take on traditional Italian boat design. It features masculine and elegant silhouettes, with fine wood accents and polished fixtures. It uses a 350-hp water-jet engine and rigid inflatable boat technology, which requires low maintenance and provides easy manoeuvrability. It has a bedroom, sunbathing deck, a fully functioning kitchen, lounge and retractable canvas roof. www.dawod.se JETGALA
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CESSNA CITATION LATITUDE by Jim Gregory
WINGS C HANG E OF
EXTENDED RANGE AND SMART TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MIDSIZE JET MARKET
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W
hen Cessna unveiled its midsize Citation Latitude last year, it was seen as the manufacturer’s answer to the Bombardier Learjet 85 and the Embraer Legacy 450. Now it seems to have captured the interest of Asia business jet owners, as seen at this year’s Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) in Shanghai. Much of the positive response came from customers who already owned a Citation jet like the Citation XLS+. In several ways, the Citation Latitude is a step up from the Citation XLS+. Compared to the latter’s 1,800 nm range, the Latitude sports an increased range of 2,300 nm. This means typical Asia-Pacific city pairs for the Latitude are Sydney to Perth, Jakarta to Taipei, Singapore to Shanghai, Singapore to Mumbai, Tokyo to Hong Kong, Beijing to Ho Chi Minh City, and Shenzhen to Seoul. Another noticeable difference is in the passenger cabin — the Latitude’s is the widest in the Citation range. Cessna Business Leader Joe Hepburn indicates that the Latitude >>
OPPOSITE PAGE Cessna’s new Citation Latitude promises a step up from the typical range and cabin width of midsize business jets ABOVE The Latitude carries up to eight passengers and allows easy stand-up access
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WINGS A side-facing couch located at the Latitude’s galley entrance accommodates extra passengers
>> cabin size will be particularly attractive to the Asian market for customers looking for a regional airplane in that area. Its passenger cabin has a generous 1.95-metre width, is 1.83 metres high and stretches 5.16 metres long. Movement is made even easier as the entire cabin floor is flat, unlike some other jets with a drop aisle that runs down the middle. The Latitude also sports Cessna’s Clairity™ cabin technology system, which will make the three-and-a-half-hour flight from Singapore to Hong Kong sumptuously relaxing or highly productive, depending on the reason for the trip. Developed by Cessna in partnership with Dallas-based Heads Up Technologies, Clairity™ cabin technology integrates the aircraft and cabin electrical systems for data and communication sharing through fibre optics. Cindy Halsey, Cessna’s vice president of interior design, engineering and
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THE LATITUDE’S PASSENGER CABIN IS THE WIDEST IN THE CITATION RANGE
CESSNA-DESIGNED ARMRESTS ARE WIDER THAN NORMAL FOR INCREASED PASSENGER COMFORT
development, says that the system’s “intuitive user interface [will] offer customers a ‘smart’ airplane”. For those long transnational flights, passenger connectivity is punctuated with modern LED indirect lighting and a quiet environmental system, which can all be manipulated through touch-screen user interfaces found at the seats, or through passengers’ personal touch-screen devices. Adjustable, ergonomically designed seats maximise comfort yet also appear to float in the cabin via the use of accent lighting in the pedestals. The Cessna-designed armrests are tucked behind the soft leather seats when stowed, and are easily deployed. The armrests are wider than normal for increased passenger comfort. “The requirements for personal and business travel have evolved to more than comfort and convenience; the use of innovative technology is key to providing a more efficient and productive aircraft cabin, which is critical to meeting expectations of a fully functioning environment,” says Halsey.
The Latitude’s two Pratt & Whitney PW306D engines achieve high efficiency and low emission
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SPECIFICATION
Elite Interior features include electrically operated console tables and docks for wireless devices
Touch-screen user interfaces allow customers to control cabin systems from their seats Armrests may be tucked behind the soft leather chairs when not needed, or easily deployed OPPOSITE PAGE The Latitude’s cockpit features Garmin G5000 avionics system with four touchscreen control panels
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METRIC
LENGTH (external)
62 FT 3 IN
18.97 M
WINGSPAN
72 FT 4 IN
22.05 M
HEIGHT (external)
20 FT 11 IN
6.38 M
CABIN LENGTH
27 FT 6 IN
8.38 M
CABIN WIDTH
77 IN
1.95 M
CABIN HEIGHT
72 IN
1.83 M
MAXIMUM RANGE WITH IFR RESERVES
2,300 NM (2,645 MI) NBAA IFR
4,260 KM NBAA IFR
(200 NM ALTERNATE)
(200 NM ALTERNATE)
MAXIMUM PASSENGER SEATING MAXIMUM CRUISE SPEED
8 PAX 442 KTAS (509 MPH, 819 KM/HR)
CERTIFIED CEILING
45,000 FT
13,716 M
TAKE-OFF DISTANCE
3,900 FT
1,189 M
MAXIMUM TAKE-OFF WEIGHT
FROM TOP The Citation Latitude is designed to suit runways as short as 3,900 ft (1,189 m)
IMPERIAL
N/A
COMMAND CENTRE
THE CITATION LATITUDE IS A STEP UP FROM THE CITATION XLS+ AND SPORTS AN INCREASED RANGE OF 2,300 NM
The interconnectivity in the Citation Latitude cabin extends to the two pilots in the cockpit. They have four touch-screen control panels for intuitive control over aircraft functions with smartphone-like icons and dynamic scrolling menus. Built around an understanding of how pilots fly, the intuitive flight deck enhances safety and reliability. Three 14-inch flat glass displays, along with user-friendly touch-screen panels, offer ease of access, reduced pilot workload and a natural flying experience for the crew. Both the pilot and the co-pilot see synthetic vision for a total and virtual-reality view of runways, terrain, traffic and obstacles, even in inclement weather.
>> “The treatments, the leather, the sidewalls, the carpeting, the cabinetry will all work together to give you an extremely comfortable, soothing place to spend time in,” says Hepburn. He adds that the Latitude will appeal to clients “who are accustomed to choosing a highly customised cabin environment”. Like all Cessna Citations with swept wings, the Latitude is aesthetically pleasing, especially with its slightly upturned wing tips. Its more traditional cruciform tail is adopted from its cousin, the midsize Citation Sovereign. At this year’s ABACE, Bill Harris, Cessna’s vice president, sales for Asia and Asia Pacific, noted: “Overall demand for light and midsize business jets in Asia is undoubtedly increasing, and we are finding customers eager for deliveries ‘now’ rather than later.” Jet manufacturers are only too happy to respond. Cessna is in talks with China-based Avic Aviation Technologies Co and the Chengdu government to manufacture the Citation Latitude locally for Chinese customers. The Latitude will be available in 2015.
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WINGS ROADABLE AIRCRAFT by Jim Simon
RIDING HIGH
A CENTURY AFTER THE FIRST ATTEMPT, THE FLYING CAR MAY FINALLY TAKE OFF
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The TransitionÂŽ aims to solve issues faced in personal aviation, such as weather sensitivity and lack of mobility
The dream of a flying car is almost as old as the car itself. Nearly a century has passed since Glenn Curtiss unveiled his Autoplane in 1917, one of the first known attempts at sky cars. Or, for a more technical term, roadable aircraft. Many more have tried. Until recently, none has overcome the challenges of weight, range, safety and economics. But thanks to persistent entrepreneurs, advances in technology and help from regulatory agencies, the vision of a flying car may finally come true. Some designs focus on personal pursuits, while others address business needs. A few try to satisfy both. But in reality, who will buy a flying car? Developers target light aeroplane owners, business jet users and service providers. Traditionally, a light aeroplane owner needs to drive to a local airfield, retrieve his plane from a hangar, fly to an airfield near his destination, park his plane and arrange for local ground transportation to his destination. To return home, he would reverse the process. With a flying car, however, he would be able to drive out of his home garage to a local airfield or airstrip, take off, fly to an airfield or landing area near his destination, and drive on. Business travellers can appreciate sky cars’ capacity to go door to door without giving up valuable time renting cars or flying to airports that are far from the destination. This is especially true for those who travel over short, >>
Image courtesy of Terrafugia
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>> but highly congested, distances. Think metropolitan areas like San Diego to Los Angeles and Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Also, roadable aircraft can supplement many helicopter-based services, such as emergency response. While helicopters are often restricted from landing close to emergency areas owing to obstacles like buildings and overhead wires, a flying car can get close, land and drive the remaining distance to the scene. To encourage the increase in both pilots and affordable aircraft, several governments have introduced a sport pilot licence and Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. Training for a sport pilot licence takes 20 hours — about half the minimum requirement for a traditional private pilot licence. Of course, many students invest in additional training to increase their proficiency. LSAs are restricted to two passengers, daylight flight clear of clouds, and speeds of about 200 km/h (the exact limit may vary in different countries). They are often made of composites to meet weight requirements. LSA certification is much easier than that of other types of aircraft, allowing developers to keep costs low. While many companies, engineers and pilots are pursuing the ever-elusive holy grail of a flying car, a few have successfully moved past the drawing board and are looking to be feasible projects.
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FLYIN NG CAR DEV VELO OPER RS TARGET LIG GHT AE EROP PLA ANE OWNERS, BUSINE ESS JET USERS AND SERVICE PRO OVID DER RS Terrafugia Made of carbon fibre and titanium, the Transition® Roadable Aircraft by Terrafugia was designed by a group of engineers trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon landing, the pilot cum driver uses a mechanism in the cockpit that folds the wings up within 30 seconds, and automatically directs energy power to the wheels. In the air, the Transition® has an easy-to-use cockpit and a back-up parachute in case of emergency. On the road, safety features include crumple zones, self-tensioning seat belts, and airbags. Terrafugia is drive-testing and taxi-testing its two production prototypes. In March 2012, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued an Airworthiness Certificate to one of Terrafugia’s production prototypes, clearing it for flight-testing. The company expects to begin production in late 2012 or early 2013. Terrafugia markets the Transition® as a vehicle for “doorto-door distances of between 100 and 400 miles [160 to 64 0km]; a trip too long to drive, but too short to use the airlines or corporate aviation efficiently. Here in the USA, we have over 5,200 public-use airports; on average, you are no more than 30 miles away from a public-use airport,” says Steve Moscaritolo, a company representative. The Transition® was also exhibited at the New York International Auto Show to attract non-pilots. www.terrafugia.com >>
OPPOSITE PAGE The Transition® is able to fit into a single car garage with wings folded Production of the Transition® is expected in late 2012 or early 2013 THIS PAGE In 2008, the Transition® successfully completed its first flight test in Plattsburg, New York Folding and extending wings of the Transition® are executed from the cockpit Images courtesy of Terrafugia
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WINGS Pal-V The Pal-V ‘Personal Air and Land Vehicle’ by the company of the same name is being developed in the Netherlands. It has just completed road tests and conducted its first successful maiden flight at The Netherland’s Gilze Rijen Airport in March. While many sky cars are half-car, half-aeroplane, the Pal-V is more like half-motorcycle, half-gyroplane. A gyroplane can accomplish about 90 per cent of the same functions as a helicopter but costs significantly less to build. Unlike a helicopter, the Pal-V will require a 200metre airstrip for take-off and landing. Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Transportation have developed a concept of ‘landing strips’ adjacent to highways, making it convenient to get on and off the road. The goal is for Pal-V users to live and work within 15 minutes of a landing strip. If the engine ever fails, the Pal-V’s rotor will continue to auto-rotate due to air flow, giving the pilot enough time to execute an emergency landing. Although its flight controls will be similar to those of a traditional aeroplane, the Pal-V resembles a motorcycle on the ground. It will lean into turns like a motorcycle. A passenger may sit behind the pilot-driver. Aside from traffic jams, the Pal-V is ideal for flying over barriers such as mountains, water, sea arms, fjords, woods and deserts, says managing director Robert Dingemanse. It may also be used for parcel delivery. The Dutch government has helped fund the project with grants and loans, and is in discussions to buy the first Pal-V models. It hopes to use the Pal-V for border control, policing and surveillance. www.pal-v.com
FROM TOP The Pal-V’s Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC™) system enables a plane-like ‘tilt-before-cornering’ The Pal-V’s foldable pusher propeller helps generate lift and forward speed in autorotation Images courtesy of Pal-V
The Carplane uses an electric engine in drive mode and piston engine in flight mode Image courtesy of Carplane
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Carplane The Carplane® Road/Air Vehicle by the company of the same name hails from Germany. It uses a bimodal cabin to maximise aerodynamics in the air and on the ground. This means that the pilot-driver and passenger are in separate, physical compartments across from each other. The Carplane® can transition from ground mode to flight mode in just 15 seconds at the press of a button. The wings on top of the car will slide backward to extend out to the sides. Once extended, they will slide forward to lock into flight mode. Take-off roll is a mere 85 metres. Internal design verification testing is now under way. Interestingly, Carplane is testing one vehicle that is roadready and another that is airworthy. As improvements are made to each version, the other will require retesting. The company is shaping its final prototype, which is targeted for 2015 government certification testing. Carplane may have recently surpassed a huge hurdle — financing. In March this year, ‘Rainbow’ Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi Ruling Family agreed to discuss a joint venture with the developer. The company sees four markets — hobbyists and enthusiasts; business travellers for distances of 250 to 1,000 km; military and emergency services; and logistics services. It does not see the Carplane® as a commuter vehicle. www.carplane.com
BiPod A design with a similar twin-fuselage concept is the BiPod by Scaled Composites. Scaled Composites is currently not releasing updated information or giving interviews about the BiPod — although, this having been Burt Rutan’s final project prior to retirement, many are optimistic that it will see the light of day. Its projected maximum speed of 200 mph (322 km/h) suggests that it is not intended to be categorised as an LSA. www.scaled.com/projects/bipod
TERRAFUGIA
PAL-V
CARPLANE
BIPOD
PARAJET SKYCAR
CAPACITY
2
2
2
2
2
CRUISING SPEED
172 KM/H
150 KM/H
222 KM/H
322 KM/H
130 KM/H
RANGE
787 km
450 KM
700 KM
1,127 KM
290 KM
ANTICIPATED PRICE
USD 279,000
TBA
EUR 100,000 – 220,000
TBA
GBP 55,320 (exc. VAT)
FROM TOP The BiPod is capable of freeway speeds, urban driving and garage storage Image by Mike Mills, courtesy of Scaled Composites
Parajet’s Skycar, with light chassis and dynamic handling, is ideal for sand dune adventures Image courtesy of Parajet Automotive
Parajet Skycar Parajet Automotive’s Skycar has a radically different design from the other flying cars profiled above. Parajet has been manufacturing paramotors for a number of years. At the risk of over-simplification, a paramotor is a motorised hang glider. Parajet’s Skycar aims to be one of the most affordable flying cars on the market by applying its paramotor know-how to a dune buggy-like vehicle. This design means the Skycar is intended for off-road locales. To fly, it will use a parafoil. The Skycar has an emergency ballistic parachute to maximise chances of a walk-away landing. www.parajetautomotive.com JETGALA
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RED BULL STRATOS by Roger Norum
TH E LO N G W AY DO WN
FEARLESS FELIX EMBARKS ON HIS MOST AMBITIOUS MISSION YET Image by Jay Nemeth All images courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
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Baumgartner free falls to earth from 21,900 metres up. The next test jump will be from 27,432 metres Image by Jay Nemeth
ON THE MORNING OF 15 MARCH, WHILE YOU AND I WERE POURING CEREAL, straightening our ties or driving to the office, Austrian maverick skydiver Felix Baumgartner was busy ascending some 13.5 miles (21.73 km) into the firmament over New Mexico in a high-altitude helium balloon. Once he reached 71,851 feet (21,900 metres), Baumgartner opened the compartment door of his pod and glanced around him, able to see with his own eyes that the Earth really is round. Then he did what very few of us could ever imagine doing. He jumped. The three-minute, 43-second free fall that followed accelerated Baumgartner to a top speed of 364.4 mph (586.43 km/h) — more than 162 metres per second — before he opened his parachute, landing on earth a few minutes later. “I’m now a member of a pretty small club,” he noted after his descent. To be exact, Baumgartner is now the third person in history to safely jump and parachute down to earth from a height of above 13.5 miles. His jump in March was only a preparation for something much more momentous — a record-breaking free-fall jump from 120,000 feet (36,576 metres), or 23 miles (37 km) above the surface of the earth. As a point of reference, commercial airliners generally cruise at around 35,000 feet. >>
THIS WILL BE A FALL FROM 120,000 FEET (36,576 METRES), OR 23 MILES (37 KM) ABOVE THE EARTH
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FROM TOP Life support engineer Mike Todd of the United States helps Baumgartner prepare for the first Stratos test jump Image by Jörg Mitter
The capsule for Red Bull Stratos took five years to develop and weighs 1,315.4 kg when fully loaded Image courtesy of balazsgardi.com
>> Baumgartner’s name is not new to aviation aficionados. Born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1969, all he ever wanted to do was skydive and fly helicopters. After becoming a member of a Special Forces demonstration team for the Austrian military, he worked as a professional skydiver, landing over 2,500 jumps out of planes and helicopters. He then conquered some of the highest landmarks and skyscrapers on the planet with recordsetting BASE jumps that have since revolutionised — and revitalised — the skydiving industry. He set a record for the world’s lowest BASE jump (from Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue), twice set world records for the highest building BASE jump (the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei 101 tower) and completed an unprecedented free-fall flight across the English Channel with a carbon fibre wing strapped to his back. He even jumped face-first 623 feet (190 metres) into a pitch-dark cave in Croatia — a feat that he once considered to be his most death-defying. That benchmark may have changed with his test jump for the Stratos mission, and will be surpassed more so by his upcoming free fall from space. Red Bull, the project organiser, reckons that Baumgartner will break the speed of sound roughly 35 seconds into his descent. The previous record for such a jump is 19.5 miles (31.38 km), set by retired Air Force officer Joe Kittinger in 1960. But the Stratos mission is not just about breaking records. The team hopes
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BAUMGARTNER WILL BREAK THE SPEED OF SOUND ROUGHLY 35 SECONDS INTO HIS DESCENT
RISKY BUSINESS
FROM TOP The non-flammable and non-toxic helium balloon carrying the capsule is made of 0.0008 inch-thick polyethylene film and measures 55 storeys high when fully inflated Image by Jörg Mitter
Baumgartner’s test jump made him only the third person in history to safely jump and parachute down to earth from a height of above 21.73 km Image by Christian Pondella
to provide valuable medical and scientific research data by testing the limits of the atmosphere for humans. “We’re doing this as a demonstration that an upper-atmospheric bailout, free fall and re-entry are possible,” says Stratos’ medical director, Dr Jonathan Clark. The jump will help determine whether or not it is possible to bring astronauts back to Earth alive should their space vehicles malfunction. “We want to prove that a human person — if they have to bail out of a capsule from 120,000 feet — can come back safely to Earth,” Baumgartner explained. Baumgartner has one more dry run planned, this time from 90,000 feet (27,432 metres). His real jump will likely take place later this year over a yet-unnamed location in North America. As someone who divides his time between Switzerland and the United States, Baumgartner is known for stating: “The air is where I am at home.” But after this unprecedented free fall later this year, he may very well recalibrate where he feels he belongs most — to somewhere up in space.
Felix Baumgartner’s space jump does not come without serious risks. As well as coping with freezing temperatures of –70 degrees Fahrenheit and ultrathin air, he will need to protect himself from extremely strong G-forces and strive to avoid going into a tail spin and blacking out — something which could happen at speeds above Mach 1.2. Baumgartner will wear a pressurised suit that is tougher and more flexible than the ones NASA astronauts use. This suit will provide regular oxygen supply, stabilise the body from the lack of atmosphere in the vacuum of space, and fend off ebullism, a potentially lethal condition in which fluid in the body’s tissues turns to gas.
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HAPPY DESIGN STUDIO by Jim Gregory
RU N W AY C A N V AS
A FRENCH DESIGN FIRM MAKES A CASE FOR PERSONALISED JET LIVERY
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Didier Wolff is hands-on with designing and painting of clients’ aircraft Despite being a discreet lot, some private and business jet owners desire to personalise their jet liveries
LISTENING CLOSELY TO A CLIENT IS HOW HAPPY DESIGN STUDIO BEGINS EACH PROJECT. The studio knows that the exterior look of an aircraft is guided by its owner’s traits as much as clothing reflects the wearer’s style. When travelling, a business jet owner’s image goes well beyond first impressions; the aircraft’s appearance precedes his every place he goes. “The external decoration of a private aircraft depends on the owner’s desire to reveal an aspect of his personality or to impose his company’s character or image,” says Didier Wolff, Happy Design’s owner and designer. But jet owners are a very private lot; one wonders if the ‘desire’ to reveal one’s character on the exterior of his aircraft exists in abundance. While Wolff acknowledges that many bizjet owners are ultra conservative and choose to keep their aircraft fuselage white, with minimal or no adornment, he says that even a simple, tiny detail transforms a jet’s individual identity. Apparently, for some, all it takes to be convinced is a good example. The company says: “Persuasion comes naturally when we are offered the opportunity to present Mr Wolff’s existing designs as samples of what can be done in terms of personalisation.” And what, exactly, can be done? The studio’s projects range from a simple colour variation scheme to an entire aircraft exterior design that would look great from different angles, as in aircraft used for airshow demonstrations. Wolff also works within limitations aside from the standard aircraft design rules, including extremely short time frames and choosing paint for temporary livery applications. >>
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EVEN A SIMPLE, TINY DETAIL TRANSFORMS A JET’S INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY
>> Some of Wolff’s designs break traditional aesthetic barriers; others integrate well with the more conservative aeronautical industrial environment. He derives inspiration from the intrinsic lines of the aircraft. He is stirred by angles, shapes, landing gears, engines and surfaces, along with how the aircraft integrates with the owner’s persona and culture. “The design applied to the fuselage is like a skin that would be delicately laid on the body. It can be dynamic, discreet and light, or strong and coloured. Multiple combinations are possible,” says Wolff. “Only aesthetics and balance count. Consequently, present owners or future buyers, as well as airlines wishing to acquire a new visual identity in order to distinguish themselves from their competitors, are assured that I implement customised, exclusive and unique creations,” he adds. Wolff studied design at L’École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg and learned to fly at the Aéro-Club d’Alsace in 1997. He fused the two learning experiences to create tailor-made designs for clients within the rigorous limitations imposed by the underlying aircraft design and the technical painting requirements of airframes.
Didier Wolff’s designs have coated business jets like the Falcon Gulfstream G550 (above) and Dassault Falcon 7X
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The design studio works closely with aeronautical paint shops to ensure aesthetics comply with technical requirements
Wolff had two days to paint two Dassault Rafale jets using temporary paint. The design features an image of The Little Prince on the tail Image by Katsuhiko Tokunaga
PAINTED PRINCE SOME DESIGNS NEED TO LOOK GREAT FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES, AS IN AIRCRAFT USED FOR AIRSHOW DEMONSTRATIONS Happy Design Studio manages the entire design project and also offers to supervise the painting of the aircraft. It prepares each design on a three-dimensional model to ensure technical compliance through to the end of the project. Wolff systematically tracks the aircraft going through the paint shop to ensure that the paint chosen works well with the surfaces, the colour palette is perfect, and the design elements and workmanship are precise. In addition to being a designer and pilot, Wolff draws on his talents and experiences as a writer, actor and photographer in creating graphic concepts. He envisages his designs against the backdrop of the sky, an undeniably broad artistic canvas. Wolff’s ability to understand his client’s desires and ideas is proven by the satisfaction they derive from their painted jets. It also shows that his listening skills are not bad at all — even if the client is a man of few words, like one customer who let Wolff’s creativity flow by giving only this brief: “Funky, but not too much...”
Happy Design Studio livery designs can fly aboard a wide range of business aircraft, VIP helicopters, dirigibles and military aircraft. None is more flamboyant than a one-time design for the supersonic French Dassault Mirage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NATO Tiger Meet. The studio’s owner and designer, Didier Wolff, also designed a temporary livery for a Dassault Rafale fighter to celebrate its accumulation of 30,000 flight hours from the French military base of SaintDizier. The author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had served in the French Army at Saint-Dizier, so Wolff painted an image of The Little Prince book’s fictional character on both sides of the tail. As the aircraft would be used to demonstrate different flying patterns at airshows, its design had to be appreciated from all possible angles.
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SKY OPENER
THE BROADENING SCOPE OF INDONESIAN BUSINESS AVIATION With more than 17,000 islands and a sunny economic forecast, Indonesia today is one of the most exciting places for the growth of business aviation. But for the industry to flourish, private jet owners and charter operators are pushing for improved facilities and more practical regulations. Captain Ari Daryata Singgih, CEO of Jakarta-based VIP charter flight operator Premiair, speaks about the opportunities and challenges facing Indonesian business aviation.
Q: Premiair was established in 1989. What have been its three most significant innovations since becoming an official air charter business in 2006? We shaped our business line’s focus into general aviation support services and into serving the oil and gas sectors. We developed aviation support infrastructures. Apart from our Executive Lounge at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, we also built 10,000 square metres of hangar and office facilities. We also developed partnerships with global aviation players — Premiair is the appointed authorised sales representative of Embraer in Indonesia. Premiair also has a joint cooperation with CHC Global Operations to operate helicopters servicing the oil and gas contracts in Indonesia. Q: Why did you choose to become the authorised sales representative for Embraer jets? Embraer is one of the leading aircraft manufacturers in the 42
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world. It has shown its record since it was established in the late ’60s. It has good products and is able to cater for the travel needs of most of our customers. Partnering with one of the major players in the industry will always be an advantage for Premiair. Q: What are the top three factors that have driven the growth of business aviation in Indonesia since the economic crisis of 2008? In general, Indonesia has good and stable economic growth, which of course helps the industry and increases the buying power of the market. The significant growth of mining and oil-gas sectors in Indonesia has also extended our customer base. Market knowledge has been improved over the years together and in line with Premiair’s continuous marketing campaign. The Indonesian market has a better knowledge
DOES THE INDUSTRY HAVE SUFFICIENT AND QUALIFIED PILOTS OR ENGINEERS TO SUPPORT INDONESIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH?
nowadays of the benefits of business aviation, compared to a few years back. In addition to that, people obviously need more time, flexibility and a social statement. Q: A bank study predicts that Indonesia will be the world’s sixth largest economy by 2030. What does this mean for its business aviation industry, and how does the industry keep up with this growth? Of course, it means good for the industry. It will certainly bring challenges as well. For example — manpower matters; in essence, does the industry have sufficient and qualified pilots or engineers to support this growth? Secondly, there is the matter of facilities — does Indonesia have sufficient maintenance support or airport facilities for business aircraft? Those are some of the challenges that Premiair has captured, and which lead to opportunities moving ahead. Q: What are the top three challenges currently facing Indonesia’s business aviation industry? I would say limited manpower in terms of crew; facilities and infrastructure; and bureaucracy and regulations.
Q: What are the three major improvements that Indonesian air charter operators seek in terms of the country’s business aviation regulations and infrastructure? I would say that the most needed improvement is in the sector of aviation support facilities, such as maintenance support providers (MRO), hangarage and fixed base operations (FBO) facilities. Q: Mining, gas and oil companies are Indonesia’s major private jet users. In contrast, how has the use of private aircraft for travel/leisure among Indonesians grown in the past three years? Travel/leisure using private jets has also been increasing in the past three years. We have seen the pattern. However, it has not been growing as much as the need for corporate/ business travel. The top three international destinations among our clients are Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, mostly for business. Q: There is a growing number of air charter operators in Indonesia. How does Premiair position itself against the competition? We aim to be always one step ahead. Currently, Premiair is positioning itself more as an aviation support services company that continuously develops its infrastructure. >>
OPPOSITE PAGE The Embraer Legacy 600 is best suited for travel to big Indonesian cities, as well as to Asian and Australian destinations Image courtesy of Embraer
THIS PAGE (L-R) Premiair’s Embraer Legacy 600 can accommodate 13 passengers and is ideal for flight conferencing and dining Premiair’s lounge for clients, who in the past have included members of the Indonesian royal family JETGALA
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FROM TOP Premiair has full cabin service for passengers who like to dine on board executive jets Premiair CEO Captain Ari Daryata Singgih began his aviation career as an airline pilot
PREMIAIR IS POSITIONING ITSELF MORE AS AN AVIATION SUPPORT SERVICES COMPANY THAT CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOPS ITS INFRASTRUCTURE >> Q: Does the growing number of private air charter operators in the country pose problems for aircraft supply? If there is a shortage, how does Premiair cope to meet client demand? For business aircraft, it may not be the problem. But we have seen a shortage of aircraft for use in the mining, oil and gas industries. This is due to a limited number of available and appropriate aircraft/ helicopters that can be used for a specific contract, as part of its requirements. To deal with this, Premiair is enhancing its partnership initiatives with major aviation players.
UP CLOSE Captain Ari Daryata Singgih, CEO of VIP charter flight operator and aircraft management company Premiair, began his flying career at PT Garuda Indonesia. He joined several air charter and private aviation companies in Indonesia before finding his place at Premiair. Initially established as an aircraft operator for one corporation in 1989, Premiair transitioned into a for-profit air charter operator for the public in 2006.
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Q: Given Indonesia’s unique topography, which aircraft from Premiair’s fleet is most suitable for flying around the country, and why? Most of the big Indonesian cities can be well served by our Embraer Legacy 600, which is a good and comfortable, medium size private jet. It suits the needs of most of our customers. To fly to smaller cities in Indonesia, we have our Cessna Grand Caravan 208B, as well as the helicopter Sikorsky S76C+. Soon, we shall operate an Embraer Phenom 300, which will enrich our aircraft portfolio to fulfil our customers’ various flight missions to more remote areas. Q: What types of clients typically hire your large-cabin, 35-seater Fokker F-100? We have just recently sold our F-100 aircraft as part of our fleet regeneration programme. Q: Do you plan to expand your fleet in 2012 and 2013? If so, what types of jets will you acquire? Yes, definitely. We will be seeing more fleet to come, especially smaller jets and helicopters to support the mining, oil and gas industries.
WildAid Ambassador Hosts Yao Ming Lee Bing Bing Ang Lee
Jackie Chan Harrison Ford Minnie Driver
Joan Chen Dwight Phillips Edward Norton Jr.
Cordially invite you to A Wild Night to beneďŹ t WildAid.
San Francisco MAY 11, 2012
wildaid.org/night
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GOSSAMER ALBATROSS by Liz Moscrop
FANTASY FLIG HT
HANG GLIDERS, BICYCLES AND A BIRD INSPIRE A SUCCESSFUL HUMAN-POWERED AIRCRAFT
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OPPOSITE PAGE Before the Gossamer Albatross, there was the Gossamer Condor. It was the first successful humanpowered aircraft and inspired the making of its historic, recordbreaking successor Image courtesy of AeroVironment, Inc.
THIS PAGE A flight test of the Albatross in 1980 with experienced bicyclist and hang-glider Bryan Allen Image courtesy of NASA
THE SLOW GOSSAMER PLANES DIDN’T WORRY MUCH ABOUT DRAG. IT WAS ALL ABOUT FLYING WITH MINIMAL POWER
AS A CHILD, DIDN’T YOU SOMETIMES IMAGINE that if only you flapped your arms hard enough or could hold enough balloons above your head, you could fly? Sadly, most of us learn the hard way that we soon fall down to earth with a bump. One kid, however, was luckier than most. Tyler MacCready’s father was American aeronautical engineer Dr Paul B MacCready, whose company AeroVironment built an actual human-powered aircraft called the Gossamer Albatross. The Albatross flew across the English Channel (between UK and France) on 12 June 1979. Dr MacCready was a world gliding champion who just knew he could fly under his own steam. To that end, he designed and built two human-powered planes — the Gossamer Condor and
its upgraded replica, the Gossamer Albatross. The Albatross worked using pedals to power a big twinbladed propeller at the front of the aircraft. Amateur cyclist Bryan Allen flew the machine the 35.8 km that it took to cross the channel in two hours and 49 minutes, achieving a top speed of 29 km/h and an average altitude of 1.5 metres. Allen had been a roommate of one of the volunteers working on the Gossamer Condor project and was keen to get involved. Tyler MacCready pointed out: “We did not go out to find him, he just showed up because he thought it sounded interesting. When our previous pilot, Greg Miller, had to leave to pursue his bicycling career, Bryan was a natural replacement because he was a powerful bicyclist, lightweight, knew how to fly (hang gliders), and was available.”
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DR MACCREADY WAS A WORLD GLIDING CHAMPION WHO JUST KNEW HE COULD FLY UNDER HIS OWN STEAM
Early Zeppelins were used for carrying airmail and, like today’s airships, popular for sightseeing trips Image courtesy of Achim Mende
FROM TOP An upgrade of the Albatross, the Gossamer Penguin made its first solar-powered climbing flight in 1980 Image courtesy of NASA
Paul MacCready figured if he could increase a plane’s wingspan without effect to its weight, and a bicyclist pedals it fast enough, it will take flight Image courtesy of AeroVironment, Inc.
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BREAKTHROUGH Today’s new aircraft are at least partially made of composite plastic materials. But back in the 1970s, Dr MacCready was a pioneer of their use in airframes. His son explains the team’s thought process: “The switch from aluminium to carbon was the primary change from the Condor to the Albatross. The most important characteristic is improved stiffness. We could build what was basically the same airplane, but have it hold its shape much better. Not to make it lighter but to make it more aerodynamically sound.” The task proved daunting, as the team actually created the carbon fibre in-house. MacCready continues: “There was no single main challenge. Every aspect of it needed to be figured out, from wrapping it on an aluminium mandrel, to holding it down during cooking, to getting the finished tube off the mandrel.” The team also had to work out exactly how far to bend and shape the material to make it aerodynamically sound. The Albatross was mostly inspired by the wire-braced structures found in hang gliders and indoor rubber powered models. All flying machines — from toys to the giant Airbus A380 — need four physical forces to keep them airborne and in balance: lift, thrust, weight and drag. Depending on the requirements of the plane, designers focus on reducing or
SPECIFICATION
IMPERIAL
METRIC
LENGTH
34 FT
10.36 M
WINGSPAN
97.7 FT
29.77 M
EMPTY WEIGHT
71 LB
32 KG
MAXIMUM SPEED
18 MPH
28.97 KM/H
RANGE
35 MI
56.33 KM
Borrowing from the Wright brothers, MacCready installed a lever in the Condor to solve the aircraft’s turning problems Image courtesy of AeroVironment, Inc.
Paul MacCready’s crew with the Albatross on a ramp in 20 March, 1979 Image courtesy of NASA
increasing different elements. MacCready explains: “These wire-braced designs are the key to making very lightweight, and therefore very low power, aircraft. Where other human powered airplane designers emphasised high performance and low drag, the slow Gossamer planes didn’t worry much about drag. It was all about flying with minimal power.” The Albatross eventually led to the creation of a better aircraft, the Solar Challenger, which weighed just 90 kilograms and was capable of reaching an altitude of 3,700 metres. On 7 July 1981, pilot Steve Ptacek flew the Challenger for 262 kilometres from Paris to Manston in the UK. Today, AeroVironment still focuses on aircraft designs — but works at the cutting edge of unmanned aircraft systems. It owes a huge debt to the Albatross and its sisters. MacCready concludes: “The Gossamer planes could not be fully designed on paper, but had to be built, tested and continuously modified until they worked. Today we have learned how to speed up that process.”
SKY GLIDING AeroVironment’s Gossamer Albatross looks like the Wright brothers’ ‘Flyer’ aircraft of the early 1900s. Built using a carbon fibre frame and expanded polystyrene wings, the entire structure was then wrapped in a thin, transparent plastic film. To keep it flying, it was designed with very long tapering wings like those of a glider. The Albatross I is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar-Hazy Center, while the Albatross II can be seen at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. JETGALA
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HOLLYWOOD JET PROPS by Katrina Balmaceda
JETS! C A M ER A! AC TI O N!
HOW MOVIE PROPS TAKE FLIGHT IN TINSELTOWN TWO THOUSAND EXTRAS, 85 CAMERAMEN, 187 PILOTS AND 37 AEROPLANES. Even by today’s standards, the logistics of Howard Hughes’ 1930 Hell’s Angels film are mind-boggling. Less known, but equally daunting, is the production story behind The Aviator, the film that portrayed Hughes’ turbulent affairs with flight, women and himself. Filming The Aviator, director Martin
Scroggins Aviation specialises in large aircraft and airliners and can simulate crash scenes Image courtesy of Scroggins Aviation
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Scorsese faced a major hurdle — how to portray Hughes’ aircraft realistically without the original aeroplanes. “Of those needed for the major flying sequences, one no longer existed and the other two were on permanent display in a museum, unable to fly,” says Joseph Bok, CEO of Aero Telemetry, a company which creates unmanned aerial vehicles. Directors of films with aerial scenes know the dilemma well. Digital recreation is usually not an option — it is costly, time-consuming and falls short of convincing the audience to suspend disbelief. The typical solution is to use real aircraft, create static mock-ups, or build scale replicas. And this is how Aero Telemetry entered behind The Aviator’s scenes. It happened to have a flyable quarterscale model of the Hughes H-1 Racer, the plane Hughes flew when he first beat the world landplane speed record. After film testing the model with a motion control rig and using forced perspective camera angles, visual effects director Rob Legarto convinced Scorsese to have Aero Telemetry build models of later planes, the Hughes XF-11 and the Hughes H-4 Hercules. The latter was a monumental seaplane and cargo carrier best known as the ‘Spruce Goose’. A man named Jim Wright had built a faithful H-1 replica, which was to be used for the film. Alas, Wright crashed his racer, and the task of building a large-scale H-1 model fell to Bok’s team. Time spent designing, planning, material sourcing and building meant it would take one year to create a single, large-scale, custom flyable model. All Bok’s team had was three months. Not for each model, but for all three. “They made it pretty clear that if we didn’t show up on shooting day, or if the model didn’t fly, they would have >>
“BIGGER IS BETTER FOR THE MOST BELIEVABLE FLYING SCENES” The Aviator, an award-winning film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that portrayed the turbulent life of inventor Howard Hughes, received much acclaim for its aircraft scenes The background and foreground can help make an aircraft model look larger than it really is Images courtesy of Warner Brothers
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>> USD4 million worth of people and equipment standing idle,” says Bok. It brings to mind Hughes’ own crew and aircraft waiting endlessly for the perfect clouds to appear. Fortunately for the producer’s pockets, The Aviator was no Hell’s Angels. In the end, California forest fires stalled filming, which helped Aero Telemetry gain a little more time. It ended up building a total of 11 aircraft models for the film. “Bigger is better for the most believable flying scenes,” says Bok. The Aviator ends at an optimistic time for Hughes’ Trans World Airlines, which was poised to rival Pan American World Airways. We know today that Pan Am became the US’ first international airline. It crafted a romantic image of first-class flight, in which stylish travellers dined finely in the sky and were served by elegant flight stewardesses. This golden age inspired the 2011 ABC television series Pan Am. Pan Am’s flight scenes showed the stewardesses on duty inside the cabin of a 1960s Boeing 707 airliner, which had ceased production in 1979. Supplier Scroggins Aviation provided a static cabin taken from a Boeing 727 fuselage, and modified its interiors to achieve a vintage look. This also entailed changing details like the instrument configuration from the 727’s three-engine version to the 707’s four-engine setup. The visual effects team added CGI (computergenerated imagery) scenery outside the windows to achieve the illusion of being in the sky. Static cabin mock-ups give cameramen room to shoot
from more angles. “We [can] make the windshield and instrument panel removable so that the actors sitting in the pilot and co-pilot seats can be filmed interacting with someone in the rear area of the cockpit,” says the company’s founder, Doug Scroggins. Scroggins’ previous career as a director of photography for television has proven advantageous, as he is able to advise on cabin layout. Aerial action film producers seek aircraft prop suppliers’ advice, too. “We are usually brought in before the film is actually started. We advise the director and producer on what planes are the right choices to make the scene look real, and what types of angles and stunts will be best for the way the scene is written,” says Dave Riggs, a stunt pilot with Mach One Aviation, which leases real aircraft to film crews. Mach One Aviation has six aircraft on hand and can access 50 more through its associates. Being primarily an aerobatic training company, it operates former military jets like the Aero L-39 Albatros, MiG-15 and Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. Its links to the warplane community has
STATIC CABIN MOCKUPS GIVE CAMERAMEN ROOM TO SHOOT FROM MORE ANGLES
Scroggins Aviation supplies static mockups — such as cockpits for the television series Pan Am — that give cameramen room to shoot from different angles Image courtesy of Scroggins Aviation
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP When featuring historical aeroplanes, producers take care to accurately depict details like aircraft livery and markings Stunt pilots like the high-performance L-39 jet trainer for its ability to do difficult rolls and stunts
AERIAL ACE
Pilot Dave Riggs, through Mach One Aviation and Incredible Adventures, regularly performs aircraft manoeuvres for the camera Images courtesy of Mach One Aviation
The Aviator used a large scale model of Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules or ‘Spruce Goose’, the largest seaplane ever built. Aero Telemetry, a maker of unmanned aerial vehicles, created the flyable model Image courtesy of Aero Telemetry
made it one of the go-to sources for World War II planes. It has supplied aircraft for films like Jarhead, Air Force 1, The Right Stuff, Fast Glass and Iron Man. The L-39 is a great photo plane — it “gives you excellent agility and the ability to do rolls and stunts impossible with any other plane,” says Riggs. Mach One also hangs a camera from a Bell 206A JetRanger, choosing it for its stability. Air-to-air filming works with a photo plane that films other aircraft as they fly close by. The photo plane may also follow the other aircraft as they fly. It is dangerous work. “We strongly advise on... how the aeroplanes can be flown, where they can be flown, flight times and aerobatic limitations,” says Bok. It’s a good thing Bok worked with Scorsese — had he lived and worked a few decades earlier, his advice might have fallen on Hughes’ deaf ears. As a filmmaker and an aviator, Hughes was bull-headed and pushed aircraft to their limits. And on hindsight, we’re all glad he did.
The Grand Canyon is often used in films as a stunning, feel-good backdrop. But for stunt pilot Dave Riggs, it was the setting for the most thrilling dogfight he has ever enacted. “Two jets in the Grand Canyon for a film — very small space for such high speed jets,” says Riggs. Preparation for aerial manoeuvres includes lots of sleep and water intake, as stunt pilots can experience up to 8G forces on the job. “It’s a high-stress occupation,” Riggs adds. In some films, as in Top Gun, Air Force or naval pilots themselves enact the dogfight scenes.
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WINGSUIT FLYING by Roger Norum
ON A SUIT AND A PRAYER HIGHER SKIES AND LOFTIER GOALS FOR THE BIRDMAN AND HIS WINGED SUIT
Jari Kuosma’s Birdman wingsuit works because it remains rigid in flight, due to the suit’s zero porosity and ripstop nylon fabric All images courtesy of BIRDMAN® Ltd
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“ALL EXTRAORDINARY THINGS ARE OPPOSED AND RIDICULED AT FIRST,” says Jari Kuosma as he muses on the Wright brothers’ pursuit of flight. He might as well be talking about his life’s work. Kuosma is the inventor of the Birdman wingsuit, a radical suit that has facilitated an entirely new kind of skydiving and brought man closer to his oldest dream. At 43 years old, the very public life of this Finnish skydiver, entrepreneur and adrenalin junkie is hardly over. Having succeeded in making wingsuit flying a safe and popular sport among skydivers and BASE jumpers, Kuosma now plans to design “wingsuits for the next generation”. He also hopes to draw non-divers to the sport. “It’s the stuff dreams are made of and everybody should experience the beauty of it at least once. I believe it makes us better human beings when we are close to life and death and see things from a perspective,” he says. Kuosma long hoped to make a suit for human flight; jumping from astronomical heights is something he has wanted to do for as long as he can remember. Kuosma recalls an old school paper that his mother found in their attic only a few years ago: “It was a short story about what I wanted to do when I grew up. I clearly stated that my dream profession would be a professional parachute jumper, since I loved speed and thrill. I was 12 when I wrote that.” His fate was sealed when he witnessed skydivers at the airport where his father flew his private plane. While working as a full-time professional skydiver in his 20s, Kuosma got wind of Frenchman Patrick de Gayardon, who was rumoured to have devised a way of stringing webbing between the limbs to facilitate flight. Attempting to jump off buildings with wings was nothing new — the earliest birdmen used everything from wooden wings to >>
KUOSMA IMAGINES A FUTURE WHERE ONE CAN FLY WITH JUST A WINGSUIT AND SMALL POWERPACKS
FROM TOP Many have risked their lives to develop the wingsuit in pursuit of greater heights Wingsuits increase lift by adding surface area to the body Images by Jussi Laine
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KUOSMA PLANS TO DESIGN “WINGSUITS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION” AND DRAW NON-DIVERS TO THE SPORT
The wingsuit’s front and back air inlets allow flyers to glide smoothly Image by Mike Harris
>> single strips of canvas stretched between hand and foot. But Kuosma’s idea, a sleek white suit with red webbing between the legs and triangular wings between the torso and the arms, amalgamated de Gayardon’s wing concept with the aerodynamic jumpsuits of parachute jumpers. Kuosma’s ripstop nylon wings fill with air once the flyer spreads his limbs, taking the form made by the position of the arms and shoulders. With this streamlined body shape, wingsuiters are able to fly horizontally, reducing the downward speed of a free fall from 193 km/h to 60 km/h and tripling air time before they must pull the rip cord and parachute down to a safe landing. Launched in 1999, the wingsuit’s record flight so far is from Morocco to Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar, a distance of some 20.5 kilometres. Listening to Kuosma speak about his invention reminds one of bullish thinkers like the Wright brothers, curious innovators with a limitless passion for flight. His other heroes include greats of flight and ascent, such as Leo Valentin, Charles Lindbergh and George Mallory, and dreamers like Nelson Mandela and Steve Jobs. As Kuosma explains: “The human trait I admire in them is that these people never gave up their dream that was bigger than any personal gain, no matter how hard it was.” It is the idea of a world without limits that so inspires Kuosma. His ultimate dream is for wingsuit flyers to be able to take off and land without a parachute. Kuosma imagines a future where one can fly with just a wingsuit and small powerpacks — similar to jetpacks now in production, but much tinier and more controllable. Kuosma’s next jump will be at an airshow on Phuket’s Patong Beach for Thai New Year, but his sights are always aiming higher. Plans include a stunt with world class acrobatic pilot, Les Vorosmarthy. “The stunt includes a very special type of aircraft piloted by Les and myself attempting something very crazy and very beautiful,” says Kuosma. He doesn’t give more details, saying he needs more practice. But like the daredevil thinker that he is, he confides: “I generally like to keep myself busy creating something that hasn’t been done before.” 56
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Kuosma currently lives in Phuket, Thailand. He has achieved 5,022 jumps and counting Image by Nina Strömberg
AT FIRST FLIGHT On 25 Febuary this year, Birdman wingsuit inventor Jari Kuosma married Swede Nina Strömberg, his girlfriend of seven years. Although Strömberg has been parachuting before, she is far from an active skydiver. Still, Kuosma admits that “she has known my profession since day one, so I guess she decided the whole package was worth the risk”. Although he had planned to appear at the wedding descending from the skies, the proper permits from the Thai authorities did not arrive in time. Kuosma ended up walking the aisle like the rest of us mortals — a move which admittedly came as a relief to his now wife.
WINGSUITERS ARE ABLE TO FLY HORIZONTALLY, REDUCING THE DOWNWARD SPEED OF A FREE FALL AND TRIPLING AIR TIME BEFORE THEY MUST PARACHUTE DOWN
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WINGS AIRSHIP ARCHANGEL by Liz Moscrop
The Airship Archangel is designed for disaster relief and emergency response situations
BLIMP
A HI-TECH, HUMANITARIAN SPIN ON THE AIRSHIP RENAISSANCE
A FLYING MACHINE NAMED ‘ARCHANGEL’ SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING FROM SCIENCE FICTION. But it’s actually an airship concept intended for disaster relief and emergency response. Designed by Thomas Grimm, Reindy Allendra and Dr Gregory Smedley, the blimp is meant to help deploy medical services, personnel, supplies and equipment at super-quick speed. If ever built, the Archangel aircraft will have a lightweight frame that generates and stores its own energy, including wind-power generated when it is tethered. Its main intended purpose would be speedy delivery of emergency care to remote and otherwise inaccessible areas. Reindy Allendra, one of the project’s architects, explains the rationale behind creating an airship meant for humanitarian purposes, rather than a luxurious joyride: “Thomas Grimm worked as a technical consultant for organisations active in supporting humanitarian response and relief operations for disasters. In looking at the most critical aspects of disaster response, such as emergency medical support, emergency power, communications and
logistics, Tom felt that some new thinking and creative solutions were needed.” The airship had to be large enough to carry more than 40 tons of emergency supplies. It also had to bring its own source of emergency power. So the team added special airborne wind-turbines to a new type of wing design. These sails will not only serve as wind power generators, but can also be quickly adapted to function as a high-performance propulsion system, enabling the Archangel to travel at speeds more than twice that of conventional airships. This power means that the blimp can stay aloft while lowering an emergency medical triage centre, as well as conductive tethers that carry electrical power from the wind turbines down to the ground to support the ER centre and other emergency operations down below. The design team was aware that airship technology was undergoing a renaissance, and military organisations were looking at balloons as platforms to support surveillance, communications, and cargo transportation to inaccessible spots. “Tom went to work designing a large-scale All images courtesy of Airship Earth LLC
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emergency response airship that could bring not only emergency doctors and other medical people, but also a complete emergency medical facility, to virtually anywhere — even places cut off by disasters, where there are no passable roads and no airports,” says Allendra. The team came together because Allendra had won a competition sponsored by KLM Airlines to design an airship. Grimm appreciated the quality of his work and engaged him to work on the project. Smedley and his wife Keyue, meanwhile, had been working on power electronics while investigating how to overcome the challenges of efficiency in wind power generation. The couple had developed patented technologies in this area. The Archangel airship will be 152.4 metres long and hold more than 141,584 cubic metres of helium. Its point-to-point range will be 7,242.05 km. With a standard cruising speed of 90 knots, the balloon could achieve top speeds of up to 220 knots. It will be configured in a series of detachable modules that will generate power, drive the ship, carry cargo and add extra communications capabilities. These could stay connected to the mother ship, or be detached and retrieved at a later time. The Archangel is intended to be self-sustaining for power, communication and other essential functions. An on-board communications system will serve as a primary or support system for emergency response operations. It is designed to fly under conditions similar to that of other commercial aircraft. So what next for the Archangel? Projected to cost USD230 million to build, it is an expensive proposition compared to other aircraft. To date, US government funding for large-scale airship technologies has been restricted to well-established defence contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. However, Allendra has faith that the concept is viable. But to come to life, a breakthrough technology like this one will require partners from both the public and private sectors, he says. The team isn’t merely looking out for funds — Allendra emphasises the need for “visionary partners” who truly desire to make a difference in humanitarian disaster relief operations.
THE ARCHANGEL IS DESIGNED FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES, RATHER THAN A LUXURIOUS JOYRIDE
FROM TOP If built, the Airship Archangel will be able to reach remote areas with impassable roads and no airports The Archangel will have its own emergency power source and communications capabilities
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Alex Unruh
CAPTAIN SPEAKING... HOW DIFFICULT CAN IT BE?
A
re you a pilot? Regardless whether your answer is yes or no, being a pilot is not as difficult as most people may think. What I often find when conversing with non-pilots is that people give us more credit than we actually deserve. Being a pilot myself, I think we tend to promote the persona, the mystique. Engage a pilot in conversation, and chances are you will soon hear a macho ‘war story’ that begins with the words “and there I was…”. While flying has its challenges, I would say that those of us who work in a cockpit endure pretty much the same stress levels others experience in their respective professions. Of course, pilots undergo endless hours of training, and often years of proving themselves before they get an opportunity to fly a multimillion dollar aircraft and make a respectable salary. How is that different from what other professionals go through when climbing the proverbial career ladder? Health care professionals, lawyers, engineers, athletes, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs — all have a substantial path to travel before reaching the pinnacle of their career. Sure, pilots bear the heavy responsibility for the safety and lives of their passengers. One only partially humorous aviation quote states: “Takeoffs are optional, but landings are mandatory.” Flying has its inherent risks — after all, we are overcoming gravity and all sorts of other laws of physics. Trust me, though, that when an in-flight emergency occurs, pilots are just as concerned about saving themselves as they are for those in the cabin. It’s in their very own best interest, and human nature, to always get the aircraft safely on the ground.
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While I am proud of what I have achieved in my career as a pilot, there is no way that I can compare myself to those who pioneered transpacific air travel in the 1930s. Besides using celestial navigation and judging drift from sea currents, these pilots also had to repair airplanes when they malfunctioned. The only expertise I have in celestial navigation is what the app on my iPad tells me. Today, pilots enjoy precise navigation equipment and easy access to aviation infrastructure even in relatively remote areas. We also use complex yet reliable aircraft, capable of flying halfway across the planet before needing to land for fuel. While flying across the globe today does have its challenges, it pales in comparison to the risks pilots faced back then. So what sets a pilot apart from other professionals? Aside from a notorious lack of humility, I believe most of us harbour a lifelong passion for our chosen profession. I tend to think that for many people in other professions, such professional enthusiasm often fades over time. Most pilots refuse to place their wings on the shelf when their retirement time comes. They try to keep their hands on the control column, one way or another. Whether it’s through part-time flying, flight instruction, or just hanging out at the airport, aviation is so ingrained in a pilot that one can’t imagine life without it. At the end of the day, we all have our areas of expertise for which we’ve been trained. For every person who tells me that he is not capable of doing what I do, I simply reply that it’s because he hasn’t tried. If you find what you’re passionate about, no challenge can prevent you from reaching greater heights.
MOST PILOTS REFUSE TO PLACE THEIR WINGS ON THE SHELF WHEN THEIR RETIREMENT TIME COMES
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LUXE THE HOUSE HOUS OF BREGUET REGUET by Dr Bernard B Cheong ng
TIME TESTED
THE PERVASIVE LEGACY OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE WATCHMAKERS
Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823)
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PARIS IN THE LATE 1700s; the place where the watch industry took an ever more technical spin thanks to a handful of gifted engineers. Among the most successful of them was Abraham-Louis Breguet, who was born in 1747 in the little town of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Breguet had considerable experience and an engaging personality, which, under the circumstances of the day, was as important as the skill he possessed. He became the watchmaker that supplied the scientific, military, financial and diplomatic elites of his era. His clocks and watches were standards used by the courts of Europe, and contained devices that continue to be used by watchmakers today. Breguet’s stepfather came from a family of watchmakers, and sent him to work as a master watchmaker’s
apprentice in Versailles at the age of 15. At the same time, Breguet had a tutor, Abbé Marie, whose connections helped the budding watchmaker gain an introduction to King Louis XVI. Royal commissions soon followed. Around 1775 Breguet set up his own company. He went on to develop numerous escapements and mechanisms — the first automatic watch, minute repeater gong spring, ‘pare-chute’ anti-shock device, perpetual calendar, overcoil balance spring and more. He was instrumental in developing the tourbillon and patented it in 1801. He was appointed to the Board of Longitude in 1814 and became the chronometer-maker to the French navy the following year. The Academy of Sciences awarded him the Legion of Honour.
LITERATURE FROM THE PERIOD SHOWS THAT BREGUET WATCHES WERE A REFERENCE TO WEALTH, ELEGANCE WE AND AN POWER
OPPOSITE PAGE (L-R) In 2005, the company began reproducing the legendary Marie Antoinette pocket watch, guided only by old illustrations and texts Breguet No. 5, heralded as the quintessential timepiece, features signature blue-steel hands and numerals THIS PAGE (L-R) Breguet invented the ‘para-chute’ anti-shock device in 1790, which reached its final form in 1806 A later model of the Pendule Sympathique master clock, launched in 1990, featured a wristwatch instead of a pocket watch
Breguet recognised the importance of patronage and designed very special pieces for clients who were celebrities of the time. A famous example is the world’s very first wristwatch, which he made for Caroline Murat, queen of Naples, from 1810 to 1812. For Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, he created a legendary pocket watch that contained all the horological complications known at that time. It took more than 40 years to make. Neither the queen nor Breguet himself lived to see the finished watch. Even today, collectors and historians still pursue the Marie Antoinette — an unfading mystery, like the Titanic. Literature from the period shows that Breguet watches were a reference to wealth, elegance and power. They were often mentioned in books and
plays by Stendhal, Prosper Mérimée, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, William Thackeray and Victor Hugo. And what of the Breguet of today? It has not lost any of its heritage and form, but has steadfastly adhered to the principles that its founder had set. Such was the leadership of the late Nicolas Hayek Sr, who took the reins in 1999 and restored the cultural and emotional appeal of fine watches at a time when the Swiss watchmaking industry was losing the global market. Under Hayek, Breguet continued to innovate. In 2005, Hayek began a project to reproduce the Marie Antoinette watch — which was stolen in 1983 and recovered in 2007 — based only on archival drawings and text descriptions. Today, the tourbillon has become >> JETGALA
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Nicolas Hayek Sr spearheaded the reproduction of the Marie Antoinette from 2005 to 2008 OPPOSITE PAGE In 1775, Breguet set up his own business on Quai de l’Horloge, Île de la Cité in Paris
RICH ROOTS Many practical, present-day Breguet watches make a nod to the company’s history while presenting advanced mechanisms. A fine example is the La Tradition collection, whose construction follows the style of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s 18th century, open-faced ‘subscription’ watches. The La Tradition watches look old enough to have been transported by science fiction through the tunnels of time. Yet, they contain just the right mix of angles, height of bridge construction, innovative but economical use of design, and good taste. No arrangement or material is wasted. Each model is made to enhance the other, from the manually wound to the automatic, to the fuséeand-chain-driven tourbillon. Even history is carefully preserved and evoked by the use of finish to the surfaces and edges of each part within these watch movements. La Tradition eschews unnecessary skeleton work, letting light flow through and around each part instead.
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THE TOURBILLON THAT WE SEE IN THE MODERN BREGUET REMAINS THE PUREST RENDITION OF THE DEVICE >> the most desired wristwatch complication. Just like fine wines — for which the nose, finish and followthrough are very important — a tourbillon is a tribute to the lasting beauty of a piece of engineering that is certain to last for centuries. The tourbillon that we see in the modern Breguet remains the purest rendition of the device. It has the finesse of line, a certain transparency, the right reflections of light and a very tight but light sizing of the wheel and cage. As a collector known for judging many of the world’s finest tourbillons, I have and still use the Breguet tourbillon’s unique architecture and size as a reference. Breguet introduced the double tourbillon in 2006 — two counterbalancing cycles of perfectly timed and coordinated movements. It may be extravagant, but will be a highlight of auctions in decades to come. The modern introduction of the large sized wheel and cage found in Breguet’s
fusée-and-chain tourbillon was also a groundbreaker worthy of further development. It has one of the most transparent and beautifully balanced dance that tourbillons are judged by. Breguet’s current interpretation of workhorse timepieces and sports watches also adheres to its founder’s philosophy — that of always placing need above aesthetics. To achieve this without a loss of charm, and without appearing rough and unfinished, is Breguet’s characteristic strength. Its aeronautic and marine watches are refined but tough — two terms rarely found together. Indeed, it is impossible to separate the Breguet identity from academia and aristocracy. All Breguets speak of the mind, and the respect the brand and the man gave to the soul. You can see and feel it in all Breguet watches, with no exception. Let someone point it out, and it immediately reveals and expands itself. That is class.
BREGUET MADE THE WORLD’S VERY FIRST WRISTWATCH FOR CAROLINE MURAT, QUEEN OF NAPLES, FROM 1810 TO 1812
The Reine de Naples, inspired by Breguet’s wristwatch for the Queen of Naples
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LUXE BASELWORLD 2012 by Alvin Wong
COMPLEX
EQUATIONS TRADITIONAL COMPLICATIONS STAGE A COMEBACK AT THIS YEAR’S BASELWORLD WATCH FAIR Watch aficionados with a keen eye for expressions of inner beauty especially enjoyed this year’s Baselworld watch fair, which saw a return of traditional complications. The most investment-worthy timepieces were those that elevated tried-and-tested mechanisms with unique in-house movements. We look at a few outstanding pieces from some of the renowned names in horological innovation.
THIS YEAR’S BASELWORLD WATCH FAIR SAW A RETURN OF TRADITIONAL COMPLICATIONS
BLANCPAIN VILLERET TRADITIONAL CHINESE CALENDAR
Blancpain acknowledges China’s increasing hold on the luxury market with what it says is the world’s first mechanical wristwatch equipped with a traditional Chinese calendar. The dial features Gregorian calendar indications alongside those of the Chinese calendar, including traditional double-hour indication, day, leap month indication and zodiac signs, as well as the five nature elements and the 10 celestial stems widely referenced by the Chinese. A key Blancpain feature, the moon phase display, provides the link between the lunar cycle and traditional Chinese months. The task of computing the mind-boggling date calculations lies with the automatic Calibre 3638, Blancpain’s newest in-house movement. The watch is available in red gold and in a limited edition of 20 platinum pieces.
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BREGUET TRADITION 7047BR TOURBILLON FUSÉE
A pink gold version of the Breguet Tradition Tourbillon Fusée joins its yellow gold and platinum versions this year. The watch’s open-worked, blackgalvanised dial sets off the rose gold hue to exude a more contemporary feel. Cosmetic tweaks aside, the timepiece’s key draw remains its complications — the tourbillon with fusée-and-chain mechanism on the upper mainplate, which guarantees constant torque in energy transmission for optimal precision; and silicon balance spring, which is extremely resistant to temperature fluctuations and wear-and-tear.
BULGARI DANIEL ROTH CARILLON TOURBILLON
Bulgari presents its fourth in-house minute repeater with the Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon, but puts a distinctive spin on the complication with a threehammer striking mechanism that chimes the time in three different pitches. (Typical minute repeaters feature two striking mechanisms.) The gongs are fixed to the mainplate and feature a friction reduction mechanism to minimise audio interference, achieving more pristine sounds. The watch is housed in a polished pink gold case and set against a cut-out dial with blacked and finished plates for the minute repeater and tourbillon mechanisms. >>
THE TIMEPIECES ELEVATED TRIED-AND-TESTED MECHANISMS WITH UNIQUE IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS JETGALA
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CHOPARD L.U.C 8HF
Optimum precision is the L.U.C. 8HF’s top draw. Its new in-house L.U.C 01.06-L movement — the world’s first high-frequency movement to be certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute — beats at 57,600 vibrations per hour, twice the speed of typical mechanical movements that beat at 28,800 vibrations per hour. A high-frequency watch movement increases rate resumption and stability, as a higher number of vibrations of the balance lessens sensitivity to disturbances. Clad in titanium, this timepiece is limited to 100 pieces.
CORUM ADMIRAL’S CUP LEGEND 46 MINUTE REPEATER ACOUSTICA
Corum’s nautical sports-inspired Admiral’s Cup collection goes from rugged to regal with its most complicated model ever. The Legend 46 Minute Repeater Acoustica captures both sports and technical watch fans. It features a minute repeater movement, developed in collaboration with movement specialist La Fabrique du Temps, which can strike four notes with two pairs of hammers to produce harmonious chimes. The model is limited to three pieces in red gold, six pieces in titanium, and a piece-unique in white gold that is fully paved with diamonds.
PATEK PHILIPPE REF 5204 SPLIT-SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH WITH PERPETUAL CALENDAR
The Ref 5204 houses two of Patek Philippe’s best-loved complications in one package. This combination is made possible by the in-house Calibre CHR 29-535PSQ movement. Besides featuring classic chronograph mechanisms such as the double-column wheel and vertical clutch, the movement also boasts six new patents, including an isolator system to ensure rate regularity. The dial subtly displays the perpetual calendar indicators while the open caseback shows the sculptural inner workings.
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LUXE LAURENCE GRAFF
MULTIFACETED THE MAN, THE STONES, AND HIS LOVE OF ART AND AFRICA
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OPPOSITE PAGE Graff’s decisions to cut historical diamonds to remove flaws have been met with both praise and criticism. One such case is the fancy deep-blue Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond, which once adorned Austrian and Bavarian crowns THIS PAGE Emerald-shaped sapphires are the centrepiece of this necklace, which follows the scroll motif
SOME OF THE WORLD’S RAREST and most historically important diamonds have passed through the hands of Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds. Having started out as a jeweller’s apprentice, Graff now owns one of the most coveted, high-profile diamond businesses in the world, and has expanded his line to include timepieces. Now his eyes are set on expanding his business in Asia. This year will see new Graff stores in Hangzhou and Macau, in addition to existing branches in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei. Graff’s interests are multi-faceted — next to diamonds, he collects art. He has also opened a winery, lodge and spa estate in South Africa, and helps African children through his Facet (For Africa’s Children Every Time) Foundation. We look at the man behind all this. >> JETGALA
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THE DESIGN OF OUR WATCHES WAS INSPIRED BY THE FACETS OF A DIAMOND Q: Please tell us briefly how you entered the jewellery business, and your main reasons for remaining there. I began working in the jewellery business when I was 15, working as an apprentice for a jeweller in Hatton Gardens. I have been in love with diamonds from the moment I saw my first one; the depth and mystery of such beautiful stones is mesmerising. I do feel I was born to be amongst diamonds. Q: How did you develop your eye for good design? Or would you say it was something instinctive? My greatest passion in life is diamonds; I have an innate feeling for them. From analysing a rough stone to deciding on the perfect design to showcase polished diamonds to the highest level, it is an instinctive, intuitive process. One of the latest treasures of Graff is a 56.15-ct D Internally Flawless heart-shaped diamond. I knew immediately that I wanted to create a unique, innovative design for this very special stone, and so created a multifunctional piece of jewellery: a diamond bracelet with the heart-shaped diamond as the centre stone, which can then be removed by the wearer and placed in a separate setting on a diamond ring.
I DO FEEL I WAS BORN TO BE AMONGST DIAMONDS FROM TOP Diamonds form butterflies on a backdrop of rubies in one of Graff’s newest watches Aside from diamonds, Laurence Graff is passionate about art collection, philanthropy in Africa, and his Delaire winery estate There are only 10 pieces of the limitededition MasterGraff Double Tourbillon GMT, which was unveiled at Baselworld this year
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Q: You’ve been known to take risks in cutting large and/or historic diamonds. What are the top three factors you consider when making such decisions? One of the biggest factors is achieving the highest colour and clarity possible without sacrificing carat weight. Other important factors include not altering the stone’s original appearance dramatically and placing particular importance on the planning stage before the cutting and polishing even begins; one slight mistake and a diamond can shatter into a thousand pieces. Q: Which diamond colour do you like the most? Why? A rare flawless white diamond is always breathtaking, such as our newest pair of stones, the Graff Sweethearts, which are 50-ct matching D Flawless heart-shaped diamonds. I also love coloured diamonds for their rarity and innate beauty. The Graff Pink, a 23.88-ct Natural Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless type IIa diamond, is without a doubt the finest pink diamond I have ever seen. Q: What is the most unusual request you have received from a jewellery client yet? We have created many unique bespoke pieces over the years, from engraving the Hong Kong skyline on the back of a watch to transforming a diamond necklace into an elegant tiara for a client.
FROM TOP The exquisite Graff Baby y Galaxy timepiece attestss to the company’s mastery ry in diamond jewellery The limited-edition MasterGraff Skeleton watch tch has 164 diamonds, totalling ng more than 21 carats The 102.79-carat Graff Constellation Diamond ond was cut from the Light off Letseng, which was discovered in Lesotho, where Graff has established hed a leadership centre and orphan’s hostel
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Q: How would you describe the major appeal of Graff jewellery pieces? With Graff, our clients know they are getting the absolute best in the world, in terms of beauty of design and quality of stones in terms of colour and clarity. Some of the rarest and most historically important stones in the world have passed through the Graff doors. Q: Tell us the story behind your decision to create Graff timepieces. With so many of our clients coming to our boutiques around the world being men buying jewellery for women, it made perfect sense to be able to offer something for them as well. The design of our watches was inspired by the facets of a diamond, and we closely link the art of fine jewellery making to the art of fine watchmaking. We apply the same diamond setting expertise to our watchmaking, using classic, time-honoured Swiss watchmaking traditions combined with advanced horological movements created exclusively for Graff, and the finest diamonds in the world. Q: What is your favourite piece of art in your collection? The first piece of art I ever acquired was a beautiful little Renoir, which I kept in my safe amongst my diamonds. Today my favourite pieces to collect are contemporary, and I believe it is very important to support young and new artists.
GIVING BACK Laurence Graff’s Graff Diamonds sources its stones from Africa. Now, Graff is giving back. He launched FACET (For Africa’s Children Every Time) Foundation in 2008 to fund and develop programmes to help the continent’s children. The organisation’s first project funded the creation of a leadership centre and orphaned girls’ hostel in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho — the origin of the Lesotho Promise, the 15th largest diamond ever found (Graff later cut it into 26 multi-shaped, flawless diamonds and set these in a necklace). Another Graff Leadership Centre opened in Botswana last year.
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LIPIZZANER HORSES
POWERFUL PLAY by Kee Hua Chee
THE LEGACY OF HORSEBACK WARFARE, HAUTE ÉCOLE MASTERY LIVES ON AS ART THROUGH VIENNA’S LIPIZZANER HORSES
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A graceful performance by a Lipizzaner and its rider is achieved through years of training
PALACES OF IMPERIAL PROVENANCE, world-class museums, stately parks, a magnificent opera house, grand architecture and haute cuisine all conspire to make Vienna a must-visit city. But if bricks and mortar fail to floor you, there is a group of living performers that will. The majestic Lipizzaner horses of Vienna perform in formation at the Winter Riding School at Hofburg Palace, once the seat of power for the Habsburg family who ruled nearly half of Europe. At the show, the sight of rider and horse prancing in harmony leaves first-time visitors with the impression that years of training have fused man and steed into one inseparable entity. This seems evident as they canter, pirouette, capriole, leap, trot and mimic ballet-like steps to classical music. This is an exhibition of haute ĂŠcole, the last bastion of classic equestrian skills, which the Spanish Riding School in Vienna has preserved not as a historical footnote, but thriving in its original form. At the Winter Riding School arena, visitors can well imagine the Habsburg emperors applauding the performers, both human and equine. With the riders decked in formal military regalia, the >>
All images courtesy of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna unless otherwise stated
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>> audience might as well be attired in ball gowns or tuxedos with tails. This nostalgic riding hall was built by baroque architect Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach between 1729 and 1735. During that era, dressage or ménage riding was on a par with such learned arts and mental activities as painting, music, dance, literature, architecture, philosophy, sculpture and designing beautiful gardens. Originally, only the Emperor, his court, favoured guests and foreign dignitaries were able to enjoy such shows. After World War I, the performances were opened to paying members of the public to maintain the school’s upkeep. The horses are now bred at Piber Federal Stud farm in the Austrian state of Styria. Owing to strict, selective breeding over the last four centuries, these white horses are practically unique and have no rivals in showmanship and temperament. Aside from their imposing stature, they have fine hooves and excellent legs, and rarely have foot problems. They are known to be highly intelligent with a genuine fondness for humans. It is said that once, when the stables caught fire, the horses did not gallop away but simply trotted to the nearest humans. Most of all, Lipizzaners have long lives and often enjoy performing until their late 20s and early 30s. This is matched, in relative terms, by the riders. Riders are selected after a stringent process. Most begin at age 16 and retire only at 60. They must be disciplined, dedicated and highly motivated. An adage goes: ‘It takes eight years to train a Lipizzaner and a lifetime to train a rider.’ Even the most experienced Oberbereiter (chief rider) would never dare declare he knows everything, as each horse is unique and has something new and different to teach its rider.
IN THE BAROQUE ERA, DRESSAGE OR MÉNAGE RIDING WAS ON A PAR WITH PAINTING, MUSIC, DANCE, LITERATURE, ARCHITECTURE AND PHILOSOPHY
FROM TOP Before Lipizzaners are able to perform movements like the levade, they undergo campaign school (the second stage of training) to improve their flexibility The Lipizzaner performs the capriole, one of the Airs Above the Ground movements taught at the haute école stage Images by Peter Rigaud
A female rider performs the levade at a show by The Lipizzaner Stallions from the US The Lipizzaner Stallions in formation for the School Quadrille performance Images courtesy of Lipizzaner Stallions Inc
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(L-R) Training begins at the age of four, where the horses are taught to be saddled and bridled. Image by Peter Rigaud
In this ‘pas de deux’ performance by The Lipizzaner Stallions, two horses mirror each other Image courtesy of Lipizzaner Stallions Inc
LIPIZZANERS HAVE LONG LIVES AND OFTEN ENJOY PERFORMING UNTIL THEIR LATE 20s AND EARLY 30s A typical show opens with the young stallions newly arrived from Piber and doing basic steps, followed by four fully trained horses performing flying train, passage, pirouette and piaffe. A highlight is ‘pas de deux’, where two horses demonstrate High School movements in mirror image. The famous Airs Above the Ground shows off the increasingly complex mezair, courbette, levade and capriole. In the School Quadrille finale, eight horses and riders perform flying changes, pirouettes, half-pass and passage to 20 minutes of classical music. The Spanish Riding School’s rendition of the quadrille movement is known as the longest and most difficult one in the world. For 436 years, only men had trained and ridden Lipizzaner horses, although the Spanish Riding School insists there is no ban on women. In 2008, a British 18-year-old and an Austrian 21-year-old woman passed the entrance exam — the first female riders in the school. Today, of nine cadets, six are females. On average, there are 72 Lipizzaner stallions in the school, looked after by a staff of 53. The Equestrian Team consists of two chief riders, 11 riders, one assistant rider and nine cadets. Many of the movements that now delight audiences are said to be originally designed for war horses, to improve their athletic abilities and agility. Today, they are regarded as both entertaining and educational, and admired as both art and skill — and the Winter Riding School has 300,000 visitors each year to prove that it is so.
AUSTRIAN PRIDE Once under royal and imperial patronage, and state-owned since the collapse of the AustroHungarian empire in 1918, the Piber Federal Stud Farm and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna became legally independent from federal administration in 2001. Together with the Opera House and Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Spanish Riding School gives performances in the Winter Riding School at the Hofburg Palace using Lipizzaner horses. The three institutions form the tripartite of Austrian high culture. With a name like ‘Spanish Riding School’, it is often presumed that Spain must be involved somehow. In fact, the school was neither sponsored by the Spanish monarch as a goodwill gesture nor founded by visiting Spaniards. The horses were Spanish and formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed — thus, the academy’s name.
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HACKER-CRAFT by Jeff Heselwood
STEINWAY OF THE SEAS THE CLASSIC GENTLEMAN’S RUNABOUT TAKES ON CUSTOM DIMENSIONS
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Clients can request to customise their Hacker-Craft, such as interior upholstery and cockpit specifications
ONE COULD SAY THAT IF THE ROAD HAD HENRY FORD, LAKES AND SEAS HAD JOHN L HACKER. A naval architect born in 1877, Hacker was one of America’s greatest motorboat designers of the 20th century. Boating fans remember the first time his Kitty Hawk hydroplane raced in public, off the Atlantic City coast in September 1911. The next year, it reached 80 km/h — a speed unthinkable for gentlemen’s racers of the day. Throughout Hacker’s lifetime, and afterwards, The Hacker Boat Co passed through several owners. Today, it is an independent company specialising in personalised projects, although it still bases many designs on Hacker’s original drawings. The company has won many awards, not just for its boats’ performance and design, but also for their inherent practicality. All Hacker boats are hand-built in the US. Each takes thousands of hours to complete. They are made from fine mahogany, finished with a high-quality epoxy sealer, then sanded and coated with layers of varnish. Hacker builds boats for different purposes — water taxiing, sports, family affairs. Its family-friendly water craft range in size from 7.62 to 12.8 metres, while the sports craft stretch from 7.62 to 10.06 metres. The boats are sturdy, wide in beam and offer a little more freeboard for dryness and sea-going quality. Their contemporary transoms, with built-in steps and swim
ALL HACKER BOATS ARE HAND-BUILT IN THE US, AND EACH TAKES THOUSANDS OF HOURS TO COMPLETE platforms, make for easy boarding in and out of the boats when swimming, waterskiing and snorkelling. Hacker also produces a model described as ‘hybrid’, which combines the grace and sleek appearance of a traditional runabout with the excitement of a sports boat. This is a 7.77-metre craft with a beam of more than two metres, equipped with a 330 hp, 5.7-litre Crusader engine. Clients often request some form of customisation, such as a different upholstery colour and unique storage areas for drinks. More particular requests have included a full-size anchor and storage for ocean charts. Some ask for >>
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A HYBRID MODEL COMBINES THE GRACE AND SLEEK APPEARANCE OF A TRADITIONAL RUNABOUT WITH THE EXCITEMENT OF A SPORTS BOAT
FARTHER SIGHTS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP First to clinch 80 km/h speed mark on water, the Kitty Hawk continues to define the parameters for American speedboats Clients can choose to personalise their boats with a Garmin GPS system and custom grating
In 2009, The Hacker Boat Co opened a new 2,972.9-sq m production facility in Ticonderoga, New York, just north of Lake George. The beautiful boats were previously hand-crafted at the company’s Silver Bay site, which now houses its offices, a fullservice marina and a showroom. The new facility was opened to meet increased demand for the mahogany boats and centralises all boat-building tasks under one roof. It also positions the company to meet production demands due to a more aggressive marketing strategy, the unveiling of the Sterling, and the introduction of Hacker-Craft to the fast-growing European market.
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The sports craft offers more freeboard for dryness and sea-going quality
>> larger versions of standard Hacker-Craft, with personalised touches like special steering wheels, alternative seats, custom dashboards, and on-board toilet and engine hatches that open with hydraulic lifts. In 2010, the first new Hacker runabout in 15 years made its début — the 26’ Sterling Runabout. Its hull is the basis for one custom-designed vessel for a South Florida client. This unique boat, with a hull lengthened to nine metres, has a hard-hatch third cockpit rumble seat, grated-style floor hatches and cabin storage with bright mahogany finish. A few other personalised features are an orange interior, eightspeaker Bose stereo system, custom-fabricated wine rack and a hand-made, teak swim platform. Another recent customisation added freeboard and flare to a basic Hacker 27’ Sport Boat for use in the open waters of Chesapeake Bay. The client specified the stain colours he
wanted, and laid out the basic design of the single cockpit interior. Hand-made bucket seats and plush, bolstered upholstery made the interiors extra inviting. The client asked Hacker to integrate a Garmin GPS into the side console and dashboard that interfaces with the Mercury engine computer, giving information on engine speed, fuel consumption and navigation. The boat also has a sun pad mounted on an electrically actuated hatch, which opens at the press of a button for access to the engine compartment. The swim platform and side quarter rails are finished in a matching stain colour to the hull. Custom-made, stainless steel flushmounted letters declare its name, Ornery — though the feelings stirred by the boat are anything but. John Hacker’s words for his runabouts were: “crafts supreme in their boating completeness”. Hacker-Craft runabouts, ranging in size from 6.71 to 10.67 metres with twinand triple-cockpit configurations, have always been known to provide a balanced combination of hull and power. The driving angle for the propeller shaft produces a level cruising position at all water speeds. This level ride is the secret to HackerCraft’s riding comfort. Apart from the sheer beauty of the boats’ lines, and their grace and power when slicing through the water, their history is a major draw to boating enthusiasts today. For, sitting at a Hacker helm, one relives the tradition and brilliance of racing firsts.
FROM TOP Clients can also choose to customise the steering wheel Hacker is currently building a boat based on a 30’ Sterling model with orange interior, a custom dashboard and a horn on its bow deck
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LUXE MACARBON
FUTURE META L
by Jeff Heselwood
NOT JUST PRACTICAL, CARBON FIBRE IS BECOMING AN EXCLUSIVE CHOICE FOR SUPERCAR INTERIORS CARBON FIBRE AS THE NEW STEEL? With its adaptability and high strength-to-weight ratio, the once elusive material is increasingly seen in everyday equipment — laptops, fishing rods, archery arrows, tennis racquets, golf clubs and billiard cues. It is used for big machines, such as sailing yachts, high-end mountain bikes, high-performance motorcycles and, of course, Formula One cars, where lightness allied to strength is essential. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial aircraft to use carbon composites for its fuselage. The fuselage of its rival, the Airbus A350 XWB, will also make extensive use of the material. At first horrifically expensive to produce, carbon fibre components were initially only used in a limited number of applications. Improved manufacturing techniques, however, have significantly lowered the cost and broadened its appeal. Sometimes referred to as graphite-reinforced polymer or graphite fibre-reinforced polymer, it is essentially the same material, with layers of carbon fibre cloth overlapped and finally cured in a vacuum bag or an autoclave. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibres affect the strength and stiffness of the final material. Carbon fibre has another edge over materials such as steel and aluminium — from a design point of view, it is more exciting. California-based manufacturer MAcarbon seizes this advantage to customise interior trims of supercars, such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi. Its manufacturing plant in Montreal, Canada, makes moulded, solid carbon fibre parts, while its plant in Liege, Belgium, creates laminate components, which is carbon added to original factory items.
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FROM TOP MAcarbon’s installation of the Ferrari 458 centre console includes the F1 panel, hazard/window switch panel, glove box lock surround and storage tray insert Owners can customise the Audi RS5 and RS6 steering wheel, from its thickness to stitching OPPOSITE PAGE The Audi R8’s carbon fibre-reinforced centre console extends across the ashtray before the gear stick
MACARBON CUSTOMISES INTERIOR TRIMS OF SUPERCARS, SUCH AS FERRARI, PORSCHE, LAMBORGHINI AND AUDI
An area of growth over the past months has been carbon fibre steering wheels. Each wheel is custom made to a client’s required specifications, including layout, type of leather, thickness, stitching patterns and stitching colours. There is even a configurator on MAcarbon’s website to allow potential customers to choose options for their own personal steering wheel. The cost of steering wheels varies according to the car owner’s requirements, but MAcarbon’s online configurator displays the estimated price based on each design choice. The company has a stock of wheels on which it bases its custom designs, which means that in most cases, the client’s car need not be off the road except for installation. MAcarbon has produced custom wheels for the Audi R8, Ferrari 430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz CLK and the Porsche Carrera GT, among many others. One of its more recent products is an Alcantara carbon fibre steering wheel for the Porsche 997 GT3 RS Sport, with a carbon top, 12 o’clock ring, wheel trim set and airbag horn ring. MAcarbon also gets requests to work on more exotic cars, and advises on the suitability of a particular wheel type for any given model. For suede finishes, it uses natural suede produced by Foglizzo in Italy, while the stitching can be any colour the customer desires — a hugely personal decision. The company says, however, that “wheels with black stitching are not nearly as visually exciting as wheels with coloured stitching”. Its thread catalogue has around 100 colours and its staff will work with a
customer to provide the right colour for his or her automobile. Although currently MAcarbon does not produce a carbon steering wheel for Aston Martin models, it does make carbon fibre tail light surrounds for the DB9, V8 and DBS. For the Bentley Continental GT, the company refinishes all the interior wood in carbon fibre, totalling 13 separate pieces. The result is a completely different look to the inside of the Bentley. To carry out this process, the customer must first remove all the wooden pieces — not an easy task — and send them to MAcarbon. Turnaround time is about three weeks. In another project, a client requested the Stradale stripe to be added to the tip of the Ferrari shift paddle on his steering wheel. Getting the lines straight and not sanding through the pattern while finishing the product required very careful work. Another project called for a custom Porsche gear knob for a special client. The knob had a silver carbon body and a black carbon top, and used the shift pattern found on MAcarbon’s Ferrari knobs. MAcarbon says it probably won’t do such type of custom gear knob again, but fans of its works know that the company thrives on carbon challenges. It’s easy to see where this passion comes from. Its founder, John Borchelt, is described as having been a “lifelong car guy”. MAcarbon stems from 2003, when Borchelt was only selling products on eBay. “Over the next few years I built my team. We’ve had the main pieces in place since 2005,” he says. In 2011, sales surpassed USD1 million. And they can only go up from here.
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GEORGE CLEVERLEY by Sandy Tan
CREATIVE CLASSICS BESPOKE SHOEMAKING MAY SEEM LIKE A SUNSET CRAFT — NOT SO ON SAVILE ROW
OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP Actor Kenneth Branagh’s measurements and last show no two sides are the same The George Cleverley bespoke range also features the brown calf Adelaide semi-brogue shoes
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DESIGNS TODAY ARE TWEAKED FROM STYLES TAKEN FROM THE COMPANY’S 40-YEAR-OLD ARCHIVES
G
eorge Glasgow Jr, chief executive and creative director of George Cleverley bespoke shoes, recalls the moment Ralph Lauren walked into Cleverley’s store 12 years ago on Old Bond Street near Savile Row in London’s West End. The familiarity between shoemaker and customer was evident. More than 50 years have passed since Cleverley started the business, and gentlemen like Lauren continue to be loyal customers. Cleverley was born in 1898 to a shoemaking family in London, and grew up selling bootlaces and polish. After completing his apprenticeship at 15, he joined the army during World War I and was later posted to an army boot factory in Calais, France. On his return, he spent 38 years working for Tuczec, a high-society London shoemaker on Clifford Street, Mayfair. Then, at a time when others would be considering retirement, Cleverley set up his own business in the adjacent Cork Street. It was there that he made a name for himself by designing the chisel-toed shoe that was to become his signature style. The likes of Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, Tom Wolfe, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and the Prince of Wales became customers, cementing the legend. He took in George Glasgow Sr and John Carnera, both of whom he had met years before, as his understudies and they set up the store on Old Bond Street. Cleverley continued making shoes until he passed away in 1991; he was almost 93 years old. Glasgow and Carnera became his successors. Like all bespoke shoemakers, Cleverley understood that comfort was what every one of his customers cared most about. “The art of a good shoe is in its lightness and ‘springness’. The leather must be well-worked, well-
hammered, so as to get every pore right,” Cleverley once said. His favourite was the elastic-sided shoe in black brogue calf with a punched cap, which he believed to have the greatest comfort and a natural shape. At his wood-panelled showroom, the bespoke experience begins with measurements taken by a skilled staff shoemaker. A pair of beechwood lasts are then carved according to every aspect of each foot and its movement. Making the shoe involves cutting the hide exactly to suit the desired style. The half-finished shoe is introduced for a first fitting. Once approved by the client, the shoe is replaced on the last, where the heels and lining are added and polished. The lasts are kept for the customer’s next request. “We wouldn’t want thousands of orders coming in. You won’t see a pair of George Cleverley shoes at a fashion show,” says Glasgow Jr. It could almost be called secretive — customers prefer if their wives or girlfriends are not present during a fitting. And little has changed over the years, except that with the ease of modern travel, the company’s bespoke service is now more accessible. >>
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“NO ONE HAS A PAIR OF FEET IN THE STRICT SENSE OF THE TERM, ALTHOUGH WE THINK NOTHING ABOUT GOING OUT AND BUYING A PAIR OF SHOES”
The late George Cleverley oversees a younger George Glasgow Sr
MUD TREATMENT
An exclusive material used in a Cleverley bespoke pair is Russian leather, known for its ability to resist water and repel insects. In 1786, the Metta Catharina ship carrying a cargo of hemp and leather was bound for the Mediterranean from the Russian port of St Petersburg. It sank in a storm. Two centuries later, divers recovered hundreds of hides from the wreckage. They were wellpreserved after being soaked with black mud for 200 years. The recovered hides were then tanned by soaking in pits of willow bark and curried in birch oil, bringing out a unique aroma and texture. The first pair of shoes made from the limited hide, exclusively owned by Cleverley, was for the Prince of Wales.
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>> While the response in Asia has been overwhelming, there are no plans to set up a store here. The focus — and challenge — is always in achieving quality in each pair and to be exceptional without changing too much, says Glasgow Jr. Designs today, such as the midnight blue Stingrey, are tweaked from styles taken from the company’s 40-year-old archives. This latest style costs GBP4,000 and is only available through its bespoke service. It takes three to five years to master the craft, which is why not many people are making bespoke shoes anymore, says Glasgow Jr. Over the years, the industry has shrunk from more than 20 bespoke shoemakers to only a handful, with the likes of Foster & Son, James Taylor & Son, and John Lobb. However, the demand for bespoke shoes continues to grow. Cleverley’s current customers include Manolo Blahnik. “What sets us apart from other designers is that we’re a designer-shoemaker,” says Glasgow Jr. “You’re going to department stores now, where the label on the bottom of the shoe says ‘handmade’ but it’s not handmade; they might have put in the laces by hand or something. A genuinely handmade shoe is where a machine doesn’t touch it.” His father also shares the same sentiments: “No one has a pair of feet in the strict sense of the term, although we think nothing about going out and buying a pair of shoes.” On a late morning at a trunk show held at The Four Seasons hotel’s royal suite in Singapore, Glasgow Jr and staff shoemaker Teemu Leppanen attended to a gentleman who had travelled from Malaysia for a first visit. There was no other customer around, as tradition would have it. The team measured the contours of his foot and took him through a wide selection of fabric, shades and styles. The gentleman was advised that he would have to wait six months for a fitting, and longer to see the finished product. He understood. After all, changing trends may come on the heels of time, but a Cleverley pair is made to last.
New styles, such as the two-tone tan and racing-green brogue shoe, retain original Cleverley designs
LUXE MOYNAT by Nida Seah
BESPOKE CANVAS
A 21ST CENTURY COMEBACK FOR TRUNKS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL
SOME BRANDS LAUNCH WITH A BANG — ribboncutting ceremonies, lavish branding campaigns, celebrity endorsements, the works. Others, like Moynat, thrive on discretion. After an absence of some 35 years, the iconic French malletier (trunk maker) silently re-emerged in Paris last year and opened its doors on the rue Saint Honoré. It has been a quiet revival for the once-independent trunk maker, which has now been acquired by the LVMH group. “The most important thing for us is to tell the story of Moynat, since the brand has just been awakened from a long sleep and has been under the radar since the 1970s,” says president Guillaume Davin. Founded in 1849 by Pauline Moynat, the brand was famous for its elegant bespoke trunks, suitcases and bags. In particular, original shapes created to fit automobiles of that era captured the imagination of its clients. Meticulous craftsmanship and inventive, subtle details set the brand apart and helped it win numerous awards at world fairs. Despite an illustrious heritage, its long dormancy poses a challenge as today’s travellers are more likely to be familiar with more visible rival brands like Hermès and Goyard. This might work to Moynat’s advantage, though. Davin explains: “We want to continue this tradition of one-on-one relationships with our clients rather than focusing on mass advertising. The store in Paris is like a living history book for the brand, where we mix vintage pieces with the new collection so that we can illustrate the link with the past.”
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OPPOSITE PAGE Studs encircle palm leaves in blue lazuli leather in Henri Rapin’s 1925 Morocco leather trunk THIS PAGE The first Moynat boutique opened at 5 place du ThéâtreFrançais in 1869 and later occupied the corner at number 1 The 1909 Limousine trunk’s concave bottom is made to suit the automobile’s rounded roof
Moynat’s striking new boutique, conceived by Gwenael Nicolas of Curiosity, Tokyo, is a combination of traditional and contemporary elements — much like its new collection of bags and leather goods designed by Ramesh Nair. They incorporate the curved forms, clean lines and meticulous details specific to the Moynat heritage, such as metallic bridge handles which date back to the Art Deco period. The result is what Davin calls “aesthetic simplicity”.
TRUNKS IN THE ORIGINAL STYLE CAN BE MADE ON REQUEST, INCLUDING RE-EDITIONS OF THE OLD CLOSURES AND FITTINGS Bespoke trunks are still very much part of Moynat and its trunk-making service continues this tradition. Special projects include a trunk made for carrying an individual magnum of Krug champagne, with an outline that follows the bottle’s curve. Other projects for exceptional clients are currently under way and will be revealed in the coming months. Meanwhile, trunks in the original style can be made on
request, including re-editions of the old closures and fittings. Nails are spaced 7mm apart as they used to be — a distinctive Moynat detail. Clients can also bring their old Moynat trunks for refurbishment, whether for a touch-up to preserve the original patina or to replace the entire canvas. Lest one think Moynat’s trunks are so last century, Davin emphasises that its current products are definitely for today’s traveller. He says: “The new trunks are designed not just to fit specific cars but also to be suited to a modern lifestyle, modern ways of travelling and modern uses for trunks.” He cited a mini-trunk that has been designed to fit one’s lap and function as a mobile office, and a limousine trunk that has the classic curved bottom but is now more ergonomically shaped so as not to knock against your legs when you walk. The revival of Moynat has led to the discovery of many of its ‘heritage’ pieces in the past one and a half years. These were found all over the world, from places as varied as Egypt, Japan and Brazil. One of the most important rediscoveries is that of a red Morocco leather trunk designed by Henri Rapin. It won the Diploma of Honour, as well as 14 medals, at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925. Another vintage trunk unearthed was commissioned by the 28th president of Venezuela in the late 1800s. Worthy finds; yet Davin says: “The treasure hunt still goes on.”
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LUXE DAUM CRYSTAL ART by Fawn Soon
CLEAR
EXPRESSION FROM SURREALISM TO NEW REALISM, CRYSTAL SCULPTURES CARVE A PLACE IN THE ART MARKET
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OPPOSITE PAGE Salvador Dali’s Les Montres Molle for Daum, based on his signature ‘soft’ or melting clock, is inimitable The Rose Passion magnum vases draw on the beauty of nature
I
n 1968, a group of French artists rediscovered a 3,500-year-old Egyptian art technique. It was the ‘lost wax’ casting method for making glass art, using a paste of ground glass. Today, almost 50 years after its artists’ rediscovery and adaptation of the method, the Daum company has built an impressive portfolio of art pieces created using pâte de cristal — literally, paste of crystal. With this technique, a hollow mould is created using the ‘lost wax’ method, and then filled with crystal fragments (known as groisil) of different colours and sizes. After being fired in a kiln for 10 days, the fragments melt and flow into the crevices of the mould, blending and merging freely. In the process, small air bubbles are entrapped in the crystal, producing what the company calls a ‘champagne effect’. Compared to pieces formed by traditional crystal blowing methods, pâte-de-cristal creations capture subtle variations in light, have more precise contours and are able to show off a richer palette of colours. The success of Daum, formed in 1893, shows the popularity of the technique, which is further enhanced by creativity and the choice of subjects. The company has a threepronged approach to conceptualising its growing collections. One is to create crystal versions of existing sculptures or paintings. Daum’s art director, Mauricio Clavero Kozlowski, selects the art pieces and the company’s studio transforms them into crystal works.
DAUM HAS WORKED WITH SOME 350 ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING SURREALIST ARTIST SALVADOR DALI AND CUBIST PIONEER GEORGES BRAQUE Since the 1960s, when the ‘lost wax’ and pâte de cristal techniques were first employed, Daum has worked with some 350 artists from all over the world. The list includes Surrealist artist Salvador Dali, who produced 21 pieces for Daum based on his works, such as The Persistence of Memory painting, and Cubist pioneer Georges Braque (posthumously, through his beneficiary Armand Israël). There are also more recent adaptations. The Soul of Venus limited collection, for example, celebrates New Realist artist Arman’s reinterpretation of antique Greek sculptures. It reconstructs his slatted Venus sculpture by using alternate strips of blue crystal and bronze, with a gap in between each strip. Another approach involves collaboration with artists. >> JETGALA
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PÂTE-DE-CRISTAL CREATIONS HAVE MORE PRECISE CONTOURS AND SHOW OFF A RICHER PALETTE OF COLOURS
>> Daum’s modellers have brought to crystal life the ideas and sketches of designers such as Philippe Starck, Jean-Marie Massaud, Hilton McConnico and Emilio Robba. Alexandre, a stallion rearing on a nickel stand, was created by ‘horseman artist’ Jean-Louis Sauvat for Daum. Deep blue and grey crystal hues convey the power and fury of Bucephalus, the stallion of Alexander the Great. In yet another approach, the design team creates most of the company’s proprietary floral and animal pieces under Kozlowski’s direction. Creativity and feasibility are the guiding principles, and for each new floral collection, Daum creates a limited edition magnum-size vase. The most recent, the Rose Passion, was created in only 50 pieces and came in pure white crystal in the form of many roses, with a single red rose fitted into the bouquet. All artist pieces have the creator’s signature sandblasted onto the crystal, alongside ‘Daum France’, and are numbered and limited. Conversely, all of Daum’s own creations are handsigned ‘Daum France’ with a diamond pin, with some of the more spectacular pieces likewise numbered and limited. Daum launches only two collections per year, with the development process of each collection lasting several months. While most commissioned series comprise at least eight-plus-four pieces, one-off pieces can be created upon demand.
(L-R) Emilio Robba, dubbed the ‘sculptor of flowers’, used orchids as an emblem in his designs for Daum’s past collection Dali’s amusing Debris d’une Automobile — a blind horse created from car fragments, with a telephone in its mouth — denounces the era of mechanisation Fabienne Campelli’s Luna reflects a woman’s natural and mysterious beauty
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Daum’s crystal art has found its way into many museums, such as the Kiyosato Kitazawa Museum of Art in Japan, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Musée des Beaux Arts in Nancy, France, Daum’s birthplace. One-off pieces, limited editions and exemplary works by significant artists often prove to be sound investments, fetching high valuations when auctioned later. They also attract private collectors like Elton John, Sylvester Stallone, Paul McCartney and Tony Parker. But, as many connoisseurs advise, a new collector will do well to choose pieces that he finds beautiful — a pleasantly difficult choice to make considering the appeal of well-crafted crystal art.
PRETTY PRACTICAL
French crystal art maker Daum recently worked with urban artists Richard Woleck and Jean Carlo Saddi on a reinterpretation of Louis XV-style furniture pieces. The pieces were made of scrubbed and varnished stainless steel, with handles and ornaments in coloured crystal. LED lighting was included in the main board to illuminate bars of polished crystal. The off-beat creation was a natural result of Daum’s constant exploration of new segments of artistic decoration. The company is now venturing into interior design by creating architectural panels, big vases and lighting designs.
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LIFE
PRESIDENTIAL SUITES by Fawn Soon
SUITE
TAIPEI
STAYING ON TOP OF ASIA’S FAST-RISING MEGA-CITIES
A landmark skyscraper located in Taipei’s Xinyi district, the Taipei 101 symbolises progress in technology and the Asian tradition
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ONCE OVERSHADOWED BY MORE GLAMOROUS ASIAN CITIES SUCH AS TOKYO, HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI, TAIPEI HAS UNDERGONE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE LAST DECADE, EMERGING AS A VIBRANT, COSMOPOLITAN AND WELLCONNECTED POWERHOUSE. ITS CITY PLANNERS HAVE ALSO SUCCEEDED IN MAKING IT A CONVENIENT AND EFFICIENT PLACE TO LIVE OR DO BUSINESS IN, WHILE MAINTAINING ITS CHARACTERISTIC SPONTANEITY. Downtown Taipei is divided into east and west. With narrow alleys swarming with road-side vendors, western Taipei offers travellers the sights and sounds of the old city. The east, on the other hand, is the haunt of the rich and famous. Known as the ‘endless emporium’, Taipei offers infinite shopping options, not to mention the finest food, found everywhere from street stalls and cosy eateries to swanky restaurants. Festivals and shows boast both indigenous arts and world-renowned acts. International investors have also recognised Taipei’s potential, especially following significant infrastructure development — Taipei now has top-notch business centres, commercial hubs and research institutes. Fortunately for visitors on business, Taipei’s hotel suites live up to expectations.
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THIS PAGE, FROM TOP The historical Grand Hotel looks out to Taipei’s skyline, flanked by the iconic Taipei 101 tower The National Theatre in Liberty Square at Zhongzheng district makes up one of Taipei’s primary performing art centres Image by LH Wong
SIX DECADES OF GRANDEUR The Grand Hotel was built in 1952 on the initiative of the late President’s wife, Madame Chiang Kai Shek, to host visiting dignitaries. It marks its 60th founding anniversary this year. Although Beijing’s one-China policy once inhibited foreign governments’ dealings with Taipei, thawed tensions and enhanced economic engagement between the two cities have allowed the Grand Hotel to regain its lustre as the temporary abode for political bigwigs and prominent trade delegations. Personal artefacts of the late President and Madame Chiang, such as a table and rocking chairs, adorn the Presidential Suite. The suite measures nearly 600 sq m with some additional 300 sq m of balcony space. Although the hotel’s architecture and design are reminiscent of a Chinese palace, its most intriguing feature may be its underground passageways, which are said to be used for emergency evacuation (although rumours suggested they led to Chiang’s home or his presidential office…).
The E-Concierge service at the Grand Hyatt Taipei allows guests to arrange activities before their arrival
Designed with business travellers in mind, the almost 220-sq m Grand Hyatt Taipei Presidential Suite has welcomed guests such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Taiwanese film director Ang Lee. The suite combines work, social and personal space in a nine-zone apartment. Telecommuting is a breeze with office facilities and IT equipment. The muted tones, understated furnishing, open-space concept and fully functional kitchen offer maximum versatility for hosting private dinners and cocktail parties.
Hotel guests can take in Taipei’s city view at the rooftop swimming pool of Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei
TAIPEI’S CITY PLANNERS HAVE MADE IT A CONVENIENT AND EFFICIENT PLACE TO LIVE OR DO BUSINESS IN Guests of the Presidential Suite at Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei can feast their eyes on classic Sung Dynasty art, whose elegance and subtle colours enhance the suite’s ambience. In particular, a multi-panel Chinese screen with ancient calligraphic verses complements the chandelier and grand piano in the living room. The spacious 226-sq m suite is divided into the salon (living room, study, dining area with hidden kitchen) and the bedroom (bathroom with view, sauna room, steam room, Jacuzzi). Prominent guests have included Sophie Marceau and Bill Clinton. >> JETGALA
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LIFE FROM TOP First opened in 1981, the Sheraton Taipei Hotel is located in Taipei’s central business district near Shan Dao Temple station The Regent Taipei Presidential Suite’s living room features a twostorey-high ceiling OPPOSITE PAGE The Extreme Wow suite’s tasteful interior also features a Ciclotte exercise bike in the bathroom The Extreme Wow suite at W Taipei is decorated with a blue, round daybed and Bang & Olufsen system
KNOWN AS THE ‘EMPORIUM WITHOUT END’, TAIPEI OFFERS INFINITE SHOPPING OPTIONS
Countless VIPs — from George W Bush to Lady Gaga — have chosen The Regent Taipei. Its 210-sq m Presidential Suite has an elevated living room with a two-storey-high ceiling and French windows that open out to a view of the city skyline and the mountains beyond. The sense of comfort is further delivered by 24-hour personal butlers, a steam room, Jacuzzi and mini-bar. There are also two adjoining guest rooms for one’s entourage. Perhaps the most special item in the suite is an authentic mahjong table from the Ching dynasty.
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>> The Presidential Suite at Sheraton Taipei Hotel is an opulent, two-storey space of 562sq m. It includes three function rooms, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as a kitchen, library, living room and dining room. The suite’s décor is a seamless confluence of Oriental and Western motifs, with all furnishings imported from Italy. In addition to entertainment and audio-visual facilities, suite guests enjoy round-the-clock butler service, limousine pick-up and bodyguards when necessary.
DIRECTORY Grand Hotel 1 Zhongshan N Rd Section 4, Zhongshan District Taipei 10461, Taiwan T: +886 2 2886 8888 F: +886 2 2885 2885 E: grand@grand-hotel.org Grand Hyatt Taipei 2 SongShou Road, Taipei 11051, Taiwan T: +886 2 2720 1234 F: +886 2 2720 1111 E: taipei.grand@hyatt.com Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei 201 Tun Hwa South Road Section 2 Taipei 106, Taiwan T: +886 2 2378 8888 F: +886 2 2377 7777 Sheraton Taipei Hotel 12 Zhongxiao East Rd Section 1 Taipei 100, Taiwan T: +886 2 2321 5511 F: +886 2 2394 4240 E: sheraton@sheraton-taipei.com The Regent Taipei 41 Chung Shan N Rd Section 2 Taipei 104, Taiwan T: +886 2 2523 8000 F: +886 2 2523 2828 E: rsvn@grandformosa.com.tw
For a more contemporary version of luxury, one must stay at W Taipei’s two-bedroom, 365-sq m Extreme Wow Suite. The bi-level loft has full-length windows framing a 270-degree vista of the city, including the iconic Taipei 101. Guests are invited to get comfortable with a long lounge chair and a media hub, which includes a projector for presentation purposes. Chinese zodiac-inspired crystal sculptures add character, while other amenities include an open-concept bathroom with a fireplace, sauna and gym.
W Taipei 10 Zhongxiao East Road Section 5, Xinyi District Taipei 110, Taiwan T: +886 2 7703 8888 F: +886 2 7703 8889 E: reservations.taipei@whotels.com
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FRÉGATE ISLAND, SEYCHELLES by Madeleine Adamson
I SLE BEFO RE T I M E
AN EXOTIC RESORT STANDS OUT AS A FINE EXAMPLE OF ECOLOGICAL CONSERVATION IN THE SEYCHELLES
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NATURE LOVERS WITH A PROCLIVITY FOR FINE THINGS and a dislike of crowds will feel right at home at Frégate Island. This eco-hideaway in the Seychelles sets the bar high for local conservation efforts. It is likely that pirates first visited this three-kilometre, square, granite isle with powdery white sand in the 17th century, and in 1744, French explorer Lazare Picault christened it ‘Frégate Island’ after its iconic frigatebirds. Early visitors, however, jeopardised the island’s delicate balance by cultivating non-indigenous coconut trees and allowing pests and rodents to roam the land. Only in the late 1990s were efforts made to rehabilitate the island’s near-extinct flora and fauna. Indigenous trees were replanted, rats eradicated and feral cats eliminated. “Agriculture and ecology are a big part of what we’re all about,” says Frégate Island Private’s managing director, Paul van Frank. A resident ecologist and a zoologist supervise environmental initiatives, which focus on increasing populations of the island’s rare and endangered creatures, such as the Seychelles magpie robin, the Seychelles white-eye (a warbler-like bird) and the Aldabra giant tortoise. Maintaining a balanced coexistence between humans and nature has meant upholding Frégate’s mantra of exclusivity; the island never hosts more than 40 guests at once. Two spacious two-bedroom villas have been erected on sheltered meadows, while the Spa Villa features its own mini pampering area. Each of 13 one-bedroom villas, built directly into imposing cliffs, includes a private sun terrace, infinity pool, daybed and dining pavilion. Local architectural heritage can be glimpsed in each villa’s timber framework, while several >>
OPPOSITE PAGE Frégate Island, fringed by seven beaches, is a 20-minutes flight from Mahé The Rock Spa, surrounded by freshwater pools and waterfalls, is located on a clifftop plateau, accessible via a rock archway THIS PAGE Guests can choose to dine on the lower terrace of Frégate House Each villa features a spacious terrace with day bed, Jacuzzi and an infinity pool
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THIS PAGE Villa interiors feature African chamfuta teak skirting boards and cream Botticino marble floors OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP The villas’ open-space concept invites unobstructed ocean views Barbecues on the beach are one of the island’s bespoke dining experiences
COORDINATES OFFICIAL AIRPORT NAME: Seychelles International Airport IATA CODE: SEZ ICAO CODE: FSIA LATITUDE: 04° 40’ 27.63” S LONGITUDE: 55° 31’ 18.62” E
>> glass walls maximise ocean views. Each dwelling comes with necessary modern amenities, as well as certified private butler service and access to solar-powered buggies. The Presidential Villa Banyan Hill, the crème de la crème of Frégate Island Private’s accommodation, rests on the plateau of the island’s eastern strip. It features a 150-sq m open living area with an additional TV lounge, fully equipped kitchen, and a terrace with a private pool. Three separate sleeping villas along the cliff treat guests to tranquil vistas. Guests may unwind further at the Rock Spa, whose therapies incorporate 140 of the island’s native ingredients. Post-treatment, plunge into one of three swimming pools or while away the afternoon with a bottle of Champagne on one of seven beaches. “Our Anse Victorin was voted one of the world’s most photogenic beaches by the British Journal of Photography,” says van Frank. The secluded isle also has a marina with a fleet of boats for deep-sea fishing and scuba diving excursions. Landbased pursuits include a workout at the Rock Gym, tennis, golf and mountain biking.
ELEVATION: 10 feet (3 metres) RUNWAY: 13/31, length 9,800 feet (2,987 metres) x 151 feet (46 metres) RUNWAY PCN: Concrete, 072RBWU TOWER FREQUENCY: 118.3 LIGHTING SYSTEM: PAPI NAVAIDS: TYPE:
VOR-DME / NDB
ID:
SEY / SEY
NAME:
SEYCHELLES
CHANNEL:
078X / -
FREQUENCY:
113.1 / 373
DISTANCE FROM FIELD:
At Field / 6.0 NM
BEARING
MAINTAINING A BALANCED COEXISTENCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND NATURE HAS MEANT UPHOLDING A MANTRA OF EXCLUSIVITY 32 106
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FROM NAVAID: - / 124.5 JET A-1:
Yes
P +248 4384 011 F +248 4384 009 E secretariat@scaa.sc www.scaa.sc
Local fresh produce is sourced daily by chefs to prepare gourmet dishes
TROPICAL TASTE
Eight hiking trails make the entire island accessible to all guests. The private island is a choice destination for celebrities and high-profile individuals seeking time away from the spotlight. Tailor-made weddings are arranged anywhere, from the on-site chapel to a tree house. With the island’s Castaway Kids Clubhouse, entire families can have a great time. Young and old alike play a role in conserving the island’s treasure trove of natural beauty. For a fee, one can ‘adopt’ a baby Aldabra tortoise, ensuring that it is well looked after until it is ready to fend for itself. “We are pleased to have the second largest population of giant tortoises in the world, just under 2,000,” says van Frank. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Virtuoso, the celebrated island was recently a finalist in the Conservation category of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The resort has also been commended for its charitable work involving the Seychellois community. Just 20 minutes by helicopter or Twin Otter from Mahé, or an hour and a half by boat, Frégate Island Private is guaranteed to delight and inspire each of its guests. It has come a long way from the ravaged land it was a few decades ago, but there is much more to be done. Judging by its management’s current efforts, one can be confident that Frégate Island Private is on the path to recovering the innocent, abundant beauty that only the first pirates were lucky enough to behold.
When it’s time to refuel, Frégate House’s gourmet menu features a cornucopia of fresh, organic produce. Another option is the Plantation House, which offers bona fide Créole-style cuisine in a historical building that harks back to the days of the island’s early settlers. “We can cook and serve meals anywhere on the island,” says head chef Gabriel le Roux. Opt for the Garden Table Experience, a tour of the plantation and hydroponics house with le Roux before sitting down to a threecourse barbecue meal. The island has recently launched a new ‘catch of the day’ concept with a local fisherman. He takes guests out on his Seychellois boat and shows them how to fish the traditional way. “Then we’ll cook up what you’ve just caught. It’s very special,” says Frégate Island Private’s managing director, Paul van Frank. JETGALA
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LIFE
BO INNOVATION by Kee Hua Chee
EXTREME CUISINE HONG KONG’S CROWDED DINING SCENE HAS RARELY PRESENTED SURPRISES — UNTIL NOW
IN A CONGESTED, COUTURE-CONSCIOUS AND COSTLY CITY LIKE HONG KONG, cosseted chefs abound. But there is only one who plasters the exterior wall of his restaurant with a larger-than-life photograph of himself. One chef clad perennially in black with a penchant to chat with diners while chomping on a cigar. A chef with colour-streaked hair who looks like he belongs behind a guitar rather than in a kitchen, if not for a tattoo on his right arm that screams ‘Demon Chef’ in Chinese characters. Even that could be a Canto punk rock band’s name. To purists, the Demon Chef is not even one; he trained as an engineer and never attended Cordon Bleu or any such learned institution. His concoctions are his own devious, albeit delicious, machinations. Yet he continues cooking up a storm at his restaurant, Bo Innovation, with creations like nitrogen-laced dishes or foie gras marinated for two days in a Chinese mixture of soya sauce, spices, ginger and rosé wine. The six-seater chef’s table is the best stage for the Demon Chef’s audacity, his deconstruction of revered Chinese dishes. The 16-course chef’s table menu presents unlikely marriages of flavours, textures, scents and colours, as well as a mélange of classic Western and Eastern ingredients. Think caviar with smoked quail egg and crispy taro — a dish so delicate that it has to be eaten with the hands. And who else would add an ingredient as expensive as black truffle to a street snack like the Hong Kong egg waffle? This is extreme Chinese cuisine, according to the Demon Chef, whose real name is Alvin Leung Jr. Even his choice of a restaurant name reflects this. “‘Bo Innovation’ seems so generic it could describe a computer store, fertiliser brand or perfume supplier. [But] in Chinese, ‘bo’ means ‘treasure’ and to me, the treasure is the essence of traditional Chinese cuisine, innovated to result in new dishes that push the boundaries of expectations,” he says. A Bo Innovation branch will open in London this summer. How apt, considering Leung was born there.
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LEUNG TRAINED AS AN ENGINEER AND NEVER ATTENDED CORDON BLEU OR ANY SUCH LEARNED INSTITUTION Though Chinese, he was raised in Toronto. “Being in Canada, I watched a lot of Graham Kerr’s The Galloping Gourmet, which sort of inspired me. Others who inspire me include Alain Ducasse for his brains, Joël Robuchon for his heart and Ferran Adrià for his courage.” Leung joined their ranks when Bo Innovation won its first Michelin star a mere five years into the business, making him one of just two self-taught chefs in charge of a professional kitchen to have received the star (the other is Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck). Bo Innovation ranked 64th in S Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best list last year. His mother also played a role — but in reverse. “Mum made us instant noodles all the time, which is not a pleasant childhood memory!” Food outside his kitchen is traditional: “After a hard day’s work, back home I eat very simply — rice, congee or whatever my wife cooks. At home, she controls the kitchen.” FROM TOP Alvin Leung Jr, who calls himself the ‘Demon Chef’, trained not in culinary arts, but in engineering At the six-seater chef’s table, diners will enjoy a 16-course meal that shows Leung’s deconstruction of Chinese dishes The thousand-year-old egg is exquisitely presented in a delicate, crispy, pickled ginger cone An unusual combination — Chinese-style noodles with caviar
Visit Bo Innovation’s website and its opening gambit is not some exquisitely presented signature dish but an image of a nasty-looking meat cleaver being extracted from a metalstudded leather case. Not very good feng shui, some may say — but stranger things have been said about the Demon Chef. Some sniff that his success is due to marketing hype and personality-based hoopla. A few have lambasted his dishes. Leung’s engineering degree may not help him make a lighter, fluffier soufflé, but he says that such a background teaches him to think logically — from creating his dishes to running the kitchen — while the environmentalist in him makes sure all ingredients are from renewable sources. He adds that his engineering training manifests itself in every dish as he combines culinary art with science. One dish may take months to perfect. The menu changes almost every month to take advantage of seasonal products. Like many great chefs, Leung’s mantra is simple: “I aim to have people say ‘this is the best meal I ever had’, so I just work backwards from that.” JETGALA
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LIFE WEALTH INTELLIGENCE
LEGENDS TO LIFE A SNAPSHOT OF THE ULTRA-AFFLUENT NON-RESIDENT INDIAN PHENOMENON
DOES LIVING THE BOLLYWOOD DREAM MEAN HAVING TO RESIDE ANYWHERE BUT IN INDIA? The Indian diaspora hints at the affirmative, but the numbers say something else, according to Wealth-X, the global wealth intelligence company headquartered in Singapore. India has exploded onto the world stage over the past decade as one of the new pillars of global growth. In the wake, its citizens and the Indian diaspora have become the subjects of much attention and speculation, particularly those who are members of the Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) club. The Non-Resident Indian, more popularly referred to as the NRI, is a figure familiar to anyone who ever watched a Bollywood film. Larger-than-life and accustomed to extravagance, the NRI is, in reel life, a regular protagonist of the Bollywood romance genre. Chances are, mention ‘NRI’ to a Bollywood aficionado and you will get references to characters played by Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and other superstars. In real life, the affluent NRI is the target of a range of professionals, from wealth management experts to luxury brand representatives. No surprise there — 5,070 of the world’s NRIs are UHNW individuals, defined as individuals estimated to be worth more than USD30 million. With a combined worth of approximately USD475 billion, they form a formidable vein of wealth that has barely been tapped. 110
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UHNW NRIs GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AFRICA 1%
THE COMBINED AGGREGATE WEALTH OF ALL UHNW NRI INDIVIDUALS LAGS THE TOTAL WEALTH OF UHNW INDIANS RESIDING IN THE MOTHERLAND
ASIA PACIFIC 20%
NORTH AMERICA 37% EUROPE 22%
MIDDLE EAST 16%
LATIN AMERICA 4%
On the global map, the ultra-wealthy NRI has a palpable presence in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific. North America comes in first, followed by Europe, the AsiaPacific region, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa (see graph). They form 35 per cent of all UHNW Indians, with 2,975 residing in North America and Europe. The three wealthiest NRIs are: London resident Lakshmi Mittal, Malaysia-based Ananda Krishna and the UK-based Hinduja Brothers. Though widespread, the UHNW NRI community is highly interconnected.
And yet, the combined aggregate wealth of all UHNW NRI individuals lags the total wealth of UHNW Indians residing in the motherland. At present, India is home to approximately 8,725 UHNW individuals, whose combined assets are worth USD1 trillion — more than twice the value of the total wealth belonging to their counterparts abroad. The figures, in this case, speak for themselves. For instance, there are 230 UHNW individuals in India worth between USD250 million and USD500 million, compared to 135 NRIs of a similar net worth. The rapid pace of wealth growth among UHNW Indians and NRIs has led to a revolution in terms of lifestyles. As the wealthiest NRI, Lakshmi Mittal has properties in Kensington Palace Gardens worth at least USD420 million, a 340-acre estate in Surrey, a USD38 million Gulfstream G550 private jet and a USD150 million yacht named ‘Amevi’. Not to be outdone, Mukesh Ambani, the world’s richest Indian and head of Reliance India, calls the USD1 billion, 27-storey ‘Antilla’ tower in the middle of Mumbai home, and commands a fleet of 168 luxury cars. He has at his disposal a Boeing Business Jet 2 valued at USD73 million and owns a customised USD60 million Airbus jet that was a gift to his wife on her 44th birthday. The Airbus jet apparently has hi-tech music systems, satellite television, Wi-Fi and a master bedroom coupled with a bathroom featuring a range of showers. Surely the luxury sector waits with bated breath for the UHNW NRI counter to that. Naturally, these are mere glimpses of the lifestyles of a select few. However, considering the pace of growth of the number of highly affluent Indians outside their motherland, it could herald an era where all eyes and target sights are fixed on the UHNW NRI, a Bollywood archetype coming to life. JETGALA 111
DESERT CHILL Photography by Adrian Bela Raba Text by Sandy Tan
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HE HAD NEVER BEEN THERE, BUT ADRIAN BELA RABA SOMEHOW CONVINCED HIMSELF THAT THE NAMIB DESERT IN AFRICA WAS WHERE HE NEEDED TO BRING HIS CAMERA AND CREW. In 30-degree heat, Raba carried out a winter fashion shoot in the sand dunes around Sossusvlei in Namib-Naukluft National Park, instead of using the snowy mountains of North Sweden as a setting. “High sand dunes and high mountains have a lot in common when it comes to shapes and shadows,” said Raba. To bring his concept to life, Raba faced cumbersome tasks, such as overcoming local bureaucracy and lugging boxes of heavy equipment with only a small team. To create the desired colour temperature, Raba matched outfits and locations with the time of day. He chose a red ski jacket to complement the evening light. Yet Raba’s favourite shot is of one model — Jude — in a cream coat, posing against the high morning sun. The team was flustered from the heat, and Raba was uncertain whether the look and feel would turn out sufficiently sophisticated. But with each try, Jude exerted more confidence. “The more energy she would put in the movement, the more the coat would open up in an amazing shape, like a desert flower.” And almost like a work of magic, in the scorching desert heat, the perfect winter picture emerged. www.rabaphoto.de JETGALA
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"THERE WERE MOMENTS WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS WORKING IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY..." JETGALA
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"WITH THE RIGHT SET UP AND ANGLE, THE DUNES WOULD LOOK LIKE SNOW"
Photography: Adrian Bela Raba Styling: Oliver Rauh Hair and makeup: Ilka M端ller for Gloss Agency Models: Paul Sale for Boss Models and Jude Nabney for Ice Models Assistant: Michael Fuhr Post production: Martina van Ghemen Design
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Viewed from up high, sand dunes, the arid Namib Desert and the desolate Skeleton Coast present a surprisingly vibrant palette
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The Namib Desert stretches along the south African coast
Photography by Peter Adams Text by Katrina Balmaceda
“I’M ALWAYS DRAWN TO COUNTRIES THAT ARE CULTURALLY AND VISUALLY DIFFERENT FROM MY HOMELAND,” says Englishman Peter Adams, whose wandering feet fuelled his passion for photography in his younger years. Now, it is his camera that spurs his travels. “I’m always curious to know what’s actually there on the map and meet people, but without the motivation to take pictures, I might be too lazy to make so much effort.” One of his aerial projects led him to an area that Namibian Bushmen called ‘The Land God Made in Anger’ — the Skeleton Coast — and to the arid Namib Desert. His subject was the salt pans in these regions, but his view from the sky captured more: purplish sand dunes, multi-hued volcanic rock, coloured pebbles on the shore, the tempestuous sea’s waves. Adams, who also takes portraits and candid photographs of people, says that aerial photography is rarely spontaneous because it entails heavy research and planning. Namibia was chosen for its “elemental and empty landscapes”, but also for its calm, relatively predictable weather. Yet, the patterns and colours of the salt works in the region surprised his trained eyes. This different perspective is what he likes to see and share — an “ambiguity of scale that helps engage the eye, and so prompts questions”. His aerial photography made him a finalist in the 2011 Travel Photographer of the Year Awards in the Natural Elements category. Recently home from a trip to China, he plans a photography workshop in Myanmar later this year and a digital photo book. www.padamsphoto.co.uk JETGALA
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Sossusvlei, which loosely translates to ‘dead end marsh’, has sand rich in salt and iron
A vast dune sea surrounds Sossusvlei, a salt and clay pan in the Namib Desert
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“PATTERNS, COLOURS AND FLOWS REFLECT ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITY AND AN AMBIGUITY
OF SCALE”
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Adams’ foray into and above the south African desert and coast was his first experience in aerial photography
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Adams’ Namibia aerials won him the bronze prize in the London Photographic Association’s landscape series competition
“POWERFUL AND GRAPHIC AERIAL IMAGES
CREATE A SENSE OF WONDER
IN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN”
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AIRBORNEABACE
ABACE 2012 IMPRESSIONS
EYES ON THE
DRAGON GLOBAL AND ASIAN FIRMS PUT THEIR HOPES AND MONEY ON BUSINESS AVIATION IN CHINA
ALL WAS ROSY AT THE ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION (ABACE), held in Shanghai from 27 to 29 March 2012 at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre. A flurry of announcements touted joint ventures, manufacturing contracts, new service facilities, young charter operators, orders and a handful of deliveries. A total of 156 exhibitors filled the 4,000-sq m hangar, and 27 aircraft were on static display. More than a third of the exhibitors were based outside Asia. Jetgala was there to observe and participate in the event. Our Briefing section (pg130-136) reports some of the significant events that took place. We sum them up here.
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At ABACE, Boeing unveiled the latest Boeing Business Jet to enter service, a 737700 with -800 wings and luxury interiors
A TOTAL OF 156 EXHIBITORS FILLED THE 4,000-SQ M HANGAR, AND 27 AIRCRAFT WERE ON STATIC DISPLAY
Small Is All Right Last year, participants hummed that China was a market for large aircraft. The bigger, the better. ABACE 2012 showed a growing interest in smaller aircraft, which are useful for travelling within the country. Eurocopter marked this interest and displayed its AS350 B3 Ecureuil and a mock-up of its light twin-engine EC135, which can come with VIP interiors, of course. It predicts that 10 per cent of all helicopter orders in China in the next decade could be for business and private use. Hawker Beechcraft sold 10 King Air turboprops to Chinese aviation company Avion Pacific Limited. The manufacturer hailed the sale as proof of a developing light turbine market in the country. Earlier this year, Piaggio Aero sold the first two P.180 Avanti II turboprops in China to CAEA (Beijing) Aviation Investment Co, Ltd. Joint Ventures To establish China arms, foreign firms need a local partner. Numerous joint ventures were announced: Warren Buffet’s NetJets and two local investment firms formed NetJets China Business Aviation Ltd; Gulfstream, Deer Jet and Grand China Aviation Technik plan to open and operate a joint service centre, Gulfstream Beijing; Swiss company Vista Jet signed an MoU with Beijing Airlines (Air China’s private jet subsidiary) to establish a Beijing base. Made in China While orders come in bulk, deliveries take place one aircraft at a time. Some manufacturers hope to shorten Chinese buyers’ waiting time by building the planes locally through factories dedicated to producing jets for Chinese clients. This will be done through a JV. To this end, Cessna has signed a cooperation agreement with state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China and the Chengdu government. The deal opens the door for negotiations to establish a JV to produce mid-size Cessna business jet models, as well as a potential new product
for the business jet market. Other manufacturers who had vied for the partnership included Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, Embraer and Hawker Beechcraft Corp. New Options With increasing acceptance of the private jet in China not only as a status symbol and pleasure craft but also as a business need, more charter operators are setting up shop in the country. New ones include Chinese start-up AllPoints Jet, which will offer Gulfstream G450 and G550 aircraft once these are delivered by Q1 2013, as scheduled. Sales and Deliveries Embraer delivered the first of 13 Legacy 650 aircraft to Minsheng Financial Leasing Co, Ltd, the bulk of which was ordered at NBAA 2011. Gulfstream delivered a G200 to Asia Jet and a G450 to Nanshan Jet. One of the largest orders signed at ABACE was for five ultra-long-range Bombardier Global 6000 jets — though the buyer was not Chinese, but AVWest of Perth, Australia. Issues Shanghainese authorities were present at the show, as was Civil Aviation Administration of China deputy administrator Xia Xinghua, who said: “The Chinese government is drafting specific rules to regulate business aviation. Various improvement measures and industry layouts are also under way.” In the next few years, the industry hopes to see a relaxation of restrictions on the use of China’s low-altitude airspace for general aviation. China also needs more trained pilots, sufficient infrastructure, a more efficient process for visa and entry, and a lower composite tax rate for imported jets. The success of ABACE signifies global and Asian firms’ long-term interest in China, and their willingness to work with the government. We all wait and see, and hope the feeling is truly mutual. JETGALA
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AIRBORNEBRIEFING
BUSINESS AVIATION IN BRIEF
Business jet operator AVWest of Perth, Australia, placed firm orders for five Bombardier Global 6000 ultra long-range jets — a move that cost approximately USD292.5 million based on the 2012 price list. Considering that AVWest has previously ordered four Global 7000 and two Global 8000 jets, the Global 6000 was an “obvious choice”, said AVWest principal Tim Roberts. The company’s fleet currently includes a Bombardier Challenger 604 and three Global Express XRS aircraft. Bombardier Aerospace deepened its foray into the Chinese market with a new office in Shanghai. The office will house, among others, the manufacturer’s Shanghai Regional Support Office team, which will expand to include support personnel for operators of Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets. It will also be home to Bombardier’s commercial aircraft teams, supply chain organisation and sales and marketing teams for China and North Asia. The Shanghai office complements the services of an existing business aircraft sales team in Beijing and commercial aircraft sales team in Shenyang. More than 95 Bombardier commercial and business aircraft are currently operating in Greater China.
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wind tunnel tests using scale models designed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin showed it is possible to create a supersonic aircraft that produces low sonic boom and low cruise drag, which could qualify it for unrestricted overland flight. The goal is to achieve a perceived noise level of 85 decibels (PNLdB). However, the public threshold for sonic boom noise is estimated at 70 PNLdB — a standard NASA aims to meet by 2035. The low boom is achieved by shaping the airframe to spread out the shock waves in a sinusoidal projection.
In a long-awaited move, Tokyo opened its first dedicated business jet terminal at Narita International Airport on 31 March. Called Premier Gate, it is located about 200 metres from Terminal Two’s landing spots. It has customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities and a private lounge. Concierge services are being planned. The terminal brings the airport’s number of business jet stands to 18. Operating hours are from 06:00 to 23:00. Tokyo is home to 46 per cent of branch offices belonging to overseas companies in Japan. The city saw 2,573 business jet take-offs and landings in 2011, with the top destinations being the US, South Korea and China. As part of its programme to extend customer services to clients within the Asia-Pacific, Bombardier will set up an authorised training provider location in the region for Global 5000, Global Express and Global Express XRS aircraft. The new training programme and flight simulator will be ready by 2013 and will improve business jet customers’ access to pilot and maintenance training. OEMbacked pilot training for Global Express aircraft is currently offered in the US, UK and UAE. Cessna Aircraft Company signed an agreement with Aviation Industry Corporation of China and the Chengdu government to manufacture and certify
Anticipating certification by the end of Q4 2012, the Dassault Falcon 2000S completed its first year of flight testing in early April. The aircraft completed 300 flight hours in more than 100 test flights. The tests gauged the
performance of mechanisms like the 2000S’ auto brake system, which is designed to allow the aircraft to operate on shorter runways, such as in the London City Airport. The large-cabin, super mid-size jet was launched in May 2011 and is scheduled for delivery in early 2013.
light and mid-size business jets, utility single-engine turboprops and singleengine piston Cessna aircraft in China. “We foresee China being one of the top 10 countries for business jet ownership globally by 2025, aided enormously by the ongoing liberalisation of the country’s airspace,” said Mike Shih, the OEM’s vice president of strategy and business development. Cessna is also expanding its customer service facilities in Asia and is particularly adding Citation-authorised service facilities in China. >>
AIRBORNEBRIEFING
BUSINESS AVIATION IN BRIEF for VIP and corporate travel, as well as for special missions. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen and offers services for VIP travel, pilot training, aerial mapping and weather modification.
Airbus sold its first corporate jet in Japan, a wide-cabin ACJ318. Airbus
COO, Customers, John Leahy says that the sale encourages “greater use of business jets to help grow what is, today, the world’s third-largest economy”. At the March opening ceremony for Narita International Airport’s Premier Gate, Tokyo’s first dedicated bizjet terminal, Airbus displayed an ACJ318 owned by Abu Dhabi-based Al Jaber Aviation. An ACJ318 typically seats 19 passengers and boasts a wide cabin.
After three decades in the aviation industry, Joseph Mack took the reins as COO of Sino Jet Management Ltd, a Hong Kong-based, full-service private aviation company. Mack is a former flight captain and operated Gulfstream aircraft for 23 years. He has also provided services for NASA. He has trained flight crew for Fortune 500 companies as a Pilot Proficiency Examiner and Designated Check Airman.
for VIP charter range from small turboprops to large executive jets. “The Setai Air multilingual team will be contactable 24/7, 365 days a year,” said Alex Berry, group executive sales and marketing director for Chapman Freeborn. The partners revealed Setai Air at the ABACE (Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition) at Shanghai in March.
Hawker Pacific’s facility at Seletar
Aerospace Park in Singapore is now the first Rolls-Royce AE 3007A Authorised Service Centre in Asia. Hawker Pacific also has a partnership with Embraer,
Sino Jet and US-based TWC Aviation Inc teamed up to strengthen their
reach to Asia Pacific’s VIPs. Under the deal, TWC Aviation will be Sino Jet’s exclusive VIP charter services operator in the region, while Sino Jet will serve as the exclusive marketing agent for TWC in Asia. “As TWC expands into the fast-growing Asia-Pacific market, we understand the need for a strategic partner experienced with local customs, cultures, languages and regulations,” said Andrew Richmond, CEO of TWC Aviation. The first aircraft available for charter under the partnership is a 13-seater Bombardier Global Express. Chinese company Avion Pacific Ltd purchased 10 King Air turboprops from Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC). The order was estimated to be worth USD50 million and called for King Air 350i and King Air C90GTx aircraft. Dan Keady, HBC vice president for Asia Pacific, said this is “further evidence of the developing light turbine market in China”. Avion Pacific managing director Wu Zhendong called the King Airs ideal
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and the Rolls-Royce AE 3007A engine powers the Embraer Legacy 600 and Legacy 650. The Seletar facility, opened in February 2012, is the first facility in the Asia-Pacific to offer maintenance for all types of Embraer executive jets within the region. Setai and GHM Hotels has introduced Setai Air, a luxury air charter service which will operate worldwide under Chapman Freeborn. Aircraft available
Cessna appointed Beijing DINGSHI GA Tech Service Center (CFIC) as an
authorised service facility for operators of Citation XLS+ family, Citation Sovereign and Citation X aircraft in northern Asia. CFIC has owned and maintained Citation aircraft since the early 1990s, and its fleet includes 10 Citations, including three new Citation Sovereigns. Cessna president and CEO Scott Ernest said that Cessna has built a long relationship with CFIC. >>
THE DEFINITIVE LUXURY LIFESTYLE EVENT RETURNS TO THE HURLINGHAM CLUB, LONDON 4th July—6th July 2012
Inspired by the salons of the 18th Century, Concours d’Elegance 2012 brings together some of the world’s finest artisans, designers and manufacturers. From unique collectables to limited edition and couture items, Concours d’Elegance is a celebration of contemporary manufacture and design. Our 2012 collections will include: Art, Automotive, Aviation, Interior, Property, Nautical, Timepieces and Jewellery. Concours d’Elegance is hosted in the spectacular grounds of The Hurlingham Club, set within a 42-acre estate of lavish gardens, lawns and close to the River Thames. Fully Inclusive Hospitality Packages and Private dining options available.
info@concourslondon.com
0207 754 0371
www.concourslondon.com
AIRBORNEBRIEFING
BUSINESS AVIATION IN BRIEF Following expansion of its sales and marketing teams in Beijing and Shanghai in 2011, Metrojet has become the first authorised service centre for Rolls-Royce BR710 series engines in Asia. Business jets powered by this engine include the Gulfstream GV and Bombardier Global Express series. Later this year, the line maintenance support will be extended to cover Rolls-Royce Tay series engines that power the Gulfstream GIV as well as the BR725 engine that powers the Gulfstream G650. Following increased demand in China for its VIP helicopters in 2011, Eurocopter displayed its AS350 B3 Ecureuil and a mockup of its light twin-engine EC135 at the recent ABACE in Shanghai. “We anticipate that China will need about 1,000 helicopters in the next 10 years, of which 10 per cent could be business and private helicopters,” said Eurocopter China CEO Bruno Boulnois. Eurocopter’s VIP helicopter interiors include designs by Hermès and Mercedes Benz, as well as a Chinese-targeted ‘Phoenix’ cabin concept in collaboration with Airbus.
directors in North America, two in China and one for Africa, Asia and Australasia. The team will focus on growing Bombardier’s worldwide portfolio of Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft. The new regional VP in the US is Tim White, a licensed pilot with two decades of aviation experience, including tenure as VP of sales in the Americas for Cessna. In China, the new sales directors are Alfred Wang, formerly with GE Aviation, and Yu Yubin, formerly with ExecuJet Aviation Group and Airbus. Chiko Kundi joined Bombardier in 2005 and is now the sales director for pre-owned aircraft for Africa, Asia and Australia.
Hong Kong-based Metrojet Ltd and US-based Solairus Aviation have
formed a partnership to offer both aircraft management services for Asian business jet owners and aircraft charter services solutions for clients in Asia. The alliance will allow aircraft owners to offer their corporate jets for charter to offset costs. “Many clients are currently forced to use multiple resources to successfully capture the benefits of business aviation overseas. Our alliance with Solairus seeks to eliminate that inefficient model by utilising the combined regional workforces and infrastructures of both companies,” explained Metrojet CEO Björn Näf. Bombardier Business Aircraft beefed up its sales team with a new regional vice president in the US, three sales
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Based in the UK and Qatar, corporate aircraft charter operator Rizon Jet inaugurated a VIP terminal in Doha. It includes a private aviation lounge, hangar and service facilities. The company aims to be a key player in the Gulf region, stating that private aviation there is no longer regarded as a mere luxury but also as a key component of modern business. Rizon Jet also has an FBO at London’s Biggin Hill Airport. It has been increasing its range of aircraft services in preparation for this year’s Olympic Games. Chinese start-up company AllPoints Jet placed an order for two
Boeing delivered the first 747-8 Intercontinental VIP to an undisclosed customer. It will come with Greenpoint Technologies’ Aeroloft™, a private
sleeping area that will be located between the aircraft’s tail and upper deck. The Aeroloft™ increases cabin space from 444.6 sq m (4,786 sq ft) to 481.1 sq m (5,179 sq ft). The aircraft will have room for 100 passengers and will enter into service by 2014. To date, undisclosed customers have ordered a total of nine 747-8 Intercontinental VIP jets.
Gulfstream executive jets: a largecabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550 and a large-cabin, long-range G450. AllPoints chairwoman Jiyun Ding said that the decision was based on the jets’ range and capability to connect China to other parts of the world. AllPoints Jet will offer aircraft charter, management and maintenance services from its base at Chengdu International Airport in Sichuan province, south-west China. Delivery of the two jets is expected by Q1 2013. >>
AIRBORNEBRIEFING
BUSINESS AVIATION IN BRIEF Zhuhai Aviation Industry Park on the southern coast of Guangdong province, just an hour by fast ferry from Hong Kong.
clients’ most popular destinations, including Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai,” said Mike Walsh, Asia Jet’s CEO. The private aircraft charter company has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo.
ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China Co Ltd will soon become
Air Works India Engineering Pvt Ltd’s Bangalore facility will house stock
a fully operational MRO at the Binhai International Airport in Tianjin. It aims to finish building its maintenance complex in May. Early this year, it was appointed as an authorised avionics dealer for Honeywell in Asia. The company is a joint venture between ExecuJet and Tianjin Haite. It hopes to offer its aircraft maintenance, technical support and AOG services in both Tianjin and Beijing.
parts for all Embraer executive jets in service in India: the Phenom 100,
Hony Capital. NetJets China Business Aviation Ltd will be based at the
A two-year development flight programme and exhaustive flight testing have gained European Aviation Safety Agency Supplemental Type Certification for the High Mach Blended Winglets for the Falcon 900.
The winglets, designed by Aviation Partners Inc (API), help reduce drag in order to optimise the aircraft’s cruise speed. The certification will enable the winglets to be installed in Falcon 900 series jets in Europe. API founder and CEO Joe Clark explains the winglets’ investment value as its ability to “improve the productivity and performance of an existing asset while making it more eco-friendly”. In Asia, installation of the winglets is done through Hawker Pacific Asia in Singapore. API is working on similar winglet certification for the Falcon 50 family. Hongkong Jet received HKAR145 Maintenance Certification
from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department. The certification signifies approval of the company’s maintenance facilities, personnel, safety management system and quality procedures. Hongkong Jet was established in 2009 to offer management, charter, maintenance and sales for business jets. Its fleet includes Gulfstream, Bombardier and Boeing aircraft. US-based corporate aircraft charter and management company NetJets set up a China arm through a joint venture with Fung Investments and a consortium of Chinese investors led by Hony Jinsi Investment Management (Beijing) Ltd, a subsidiary of the private equity firm 136
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Top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic is the new face of Bombardier, following a prestigious line of brand ambassadors including actor and pilot John Travolta, architect Frank Gehry, maestro Valery Gergiev, and classical pianist Lang Lang. Djokovic said he has been a “Learjet fan” for many years now. Bombardier Business Aircraft president Steve Ridolfi said: “Speed, agility, performance and efficiency are key attributes that Novak Djokovic and Learjet aircraft have in common.” Asia Jet, based in Hong Kong, took
delivery of a large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200, which will join the
existing G200 and G300 Gulfstream aircraft in its fleet. “The Gulfstream G200 is ideally suited to travel nonstop from Hong Kong to some of our
Legacy 600, Legacy 650 and Lineage 1000. From there, the parts will be sent to eight Embraer Authorised Service Centres in the country, as needed. The on-site stock will minimise turnaround time in parts replacement. Air Works has 15 maintenance facilities in India and is qualified to maintain 50 aircraft types. Saudi Private Aviation (SPA), the executive jet charter arm of Saudi Arabian Airlines, took delivery of its fourth Falcon 7X business jet and says it is now the largest single operator of the aircraft model. It placed its order for the four Falcon 7X jets in 2007. SPA managing director Wajdi Abdullah Al-Idrissi said it is the technology bundle and cabin comfort offered by the Falcon 7X that attracts its clients. Its range covers city pairs like Dubai to Tokyo, New York to Riyadh, or Riyadh to Perth. The Falcon 7X accounts for 40 per cent of Dassault Falcon’s aircraft sales in the Middle East. Gulfstream Aerospace Corp appointed Trevor Esling as regional senior vice
president for international sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He reports to Scott Neal, senior vice president for worldwide sales and marketing. Esling’s scope covers new and old customers, including those from Russia. Esling previously served as senior vice president of international sales for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia at Cessna. His 25 years of aviation experience includes employment at BAe Commercial Aircraft, BAe Corporate Jets and Raytheon Aircraft Inc.
FATHER RAY FOUNDATION TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE IN NEED SINCE 1974 Founded by the iconic late Father Ray Brennan, the foundation now named after him takes care of hundreds of needy children and young people with disabilities in Thailand. Based in the seaside resort of Pattaya, Thailand, its various institutions at any time care for more than 850 children without a family, street children, blind children and young disabled adults. Our enduring vision of “We Never Turn a Needy Child Away� is often the only hope for children and young people who have nobody else to turn to. Help us by donating, by volunteering, by sponsoring a child or by visiting our website and videos:
Visit Our Website Father Ray Foundation Moo 9, Sukumvit Road, Km 145, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi Thailand 20260 Tel: +66 38 428717, +66 38 716628 Fax: +66 38 716629 Watch Our Video
E: info@fr-ray.org W: www.fr-ray.org
AIRBORNEGLOSSARY
PLANE SPEAK ABSOLUTE ALTITUDE Measurable height of an aircraft above the actual terrain. ABSOLUTE CEILING The maximum altitude above sea level at which an aircraft can maintain level flight under Standard Air conditions. AGL (Above Ground Level) Altitude expressed as feet above terrain or airport elevation (see MSL). AILERONS An aircraft control surface hinged to the rear, outer section of each wing for banking (‘tilting’) the aircraft. AIRCRAFT MANAGEMENT Comprehensive services provided by a management company for an aircraft owner. Details vary. AIRFOIL The shape of any flying surface, but principally a wing, as seen in side-view (cross section). AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE Official notification to aircraft owners/operators of a known safety issue with a particular model of aircraft. ALTIMETER A highly sensitive barometer that shows an aircraft’s altitude above mean sea level by measuring atmospheric pressure. ANGLE OF ATTACK The angle between the airfoil’s chord line and the direction in which the aircraft is currently moving. AOG (Aircraft on Ground) Aircraft unfit to fly, in need of repair. Owner’s worst nightmare. APPROACH (DEPARTURE) CONTROL Radar-based air traffic control, usually at an airport tower, providing traffic separation up to 40 miles. APRON Hard-surfaced or paved area around a hangar. Also, ‘ramp’. ATC (Air Traffic Control) Service providing separation services to participating airborne traffic and clearances to land, take off or taxi at airports. AVIONICS The electronic control systems airplanes use for flight such as communications, autopilots, and navigation. BLOCK RATES Pre-paid hours for air charter at a contracted price. CARBON OFFSET Monetary contributions to renewable energy research and production projects to ‘offset’ carbon emissions of an airplane. 138
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CHARTER The ‘renting’ of an aircraft with crew for a personal, business, or cargo flight from one point to another.
FBO (Fixed Base Operator) A business operating an airport terminal for non-airline, general aviation aircraft.
CHARTER CARD Pre-paid air charter plan, either for a block of charter hours at a pre-defined fee, or a set debit balance in dollars.
FERRY FLIGHT A flight for the purpose of returning an aircraft to base or delivering an aircraft from one location to another.
CLASS I NAVIGATION Operation of aircraft under visual meteorological conditions (VFR) primarily based on ‘see and avoid’ procedures. CLASS II NAVIGATION Any en route flight operation that is not Class I, i.e. instrumentbased navigation (IFR). CLEARANCE Formal instructions from air traffic control authorising a specific action (climb or descend, entry into controlled airspace).
FLAPS Hinged surfaces on the inboard rear of wings, deployed to increase wing curvature (and thus, lift). FLIGHT PLAN Filed by radio, telephone, computer, or in person with Flight Service Stations. FLIGHT TIME Portion of the trip actually spent in the air. FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP The purchase of a ‘share’ of an aircraft.
CONTRAILS Streaks of condensed water vapour created in the air by aircraft flying at high altitudes; a.k.a. vapour trails.
FUSELAGE An aircraft’s main body structure housing the flight crew, passengers, and cargo.
CONTROLLED AIRSPACE An airspace of defined dimensions within which air traffic control service is provided.
GENERAL AVIATION Part of civil aviation comprising all facets of aviation except scheduled air carriers.
CRUISE SPEED The normal speed attained at altitude once the aircraft is no longer climbing and is en route.
GLASS COCKPIT See FIS.
CRUISING ALTITUDE A level altitude maintained by an aircraft while in flight. DEADHEAD To fly the return leg of a trip without cargo or passengers. DRAG Resisting force exerted on an aircraft in its line of flight opposite in direction to its motion. Opposite of thrust. DUTY TIME That portion of the day when a crewmember is on duty in any capacity (not just in the air), limited by regulations. EFIS (Electronic Flight Information Systems) Glass cockpit avionics that integrate all flight parameters into one optimised instrument. ELEVATOR An aircraft control surface hinged to both rear horizontal stabilisers, changing the aircraft pitch attitude nose-up or nose-down. EMPTY LEG Also known as ‘one-way availability’. Usually posted as available for travel between two airports during a certain time period. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) The Department of Transportation’s agency for aviation.
GPS (Global Positioning System) Satellitebased navigation system operated by Department of Defence. GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) System designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in immediate danger of flying into the ground. GROUND SPEED Actual speed that an aircraft travels over the ground also called ‘shadow speed’. HANGAR An enclosed structure for housing aircraft. Originated with lakebased floating homes of the original German Zeppelin airships. HEAVY JETS See ‘Large-Cabin Jets’. HORSEPOWER The motive energy required to raise 550 lbs. one foot in one second, friction disregarded. HUD (Head-Up Display) A transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpoint. IATA CODE International aviation code for international airports. ICAO CODE Civil aviation codes for airports.
THE SOMALY MAM FOUNDATION The quest for a world where women and children are safe from slavery.
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AIRBORNEGLOSSARY
IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) Rules for flights into clouds and low visibility, by reference to cockpit instruments and radio navigation. ILS (Instrument Landing System) A precision instrument approach system permitting aircraft to land with low ceilings or poor visibility. JOINT OWNERSHIP Purchase or lease of an aircraft by a number of owners, often through a partnership or limited company. KNOT (Nautical Mile per Hour) Common measure of aircraft speed equalling 6,080 feet or about 1.15 miles. (For mph, multiply knots by 1.15.) KTAS True airspeed, in knots. LARGE-CABIN JETS The largest size aircraft that doesn’t require a major airport runway. Typical capacity 9-15 passengers. LAYOVER A night spent in the middle of the trip in a city other than home base for the aircraft and crew. LEG Describes one direction of travel between two points. Commonly used in referring to a planned itinerary. LIGHT JETS See ‘Small-Cabin Jets’. MACH SPEED A number representing the ratio of the speed of an airplane to the speed of sound in the surrounding air. MAYDAY An international distress signal to indicate an imminent and grave danger that requires assistance. MID-CABIN JETS Typical capacity 7-9 passengers. MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) Company licensed to provide services for the upkeep and airworthiness of airplanes. NAUTICAL MILE Defined internationally as equivalent to 1,852 metres or 1.15 statute miles. NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) A radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. PAN PAN International call signal for urgency, indicating uncertainty and usually followed by the nature of the alert. PART 91 The parts of Federal Aviation Regulations on non-commercial operations covering corporate flight departments. PART 121 The parts of Federal Aviation Regulations on scheduled airline operations, including the publication of a schedule. 140
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PLANE SPEAK
PART 135 The parts of Federal Aviation Regulations on non-commercial operations covering charter carriers.
TARMAC A paved airport surface, especially a runway or an apron at a hangar.
PART 145 Certificate allowing an organisation to perform maintenance and alterations on US-registered aircraft.
TAXI TIME Portion of the trip spent rolling between the gate, terminal, or ramp and runway.
PATTERN The path of aircraft traffic around an airfield, at an established height and direction.
THRUST The forward force produced in reaction to the gases expelled rearward from a jet engine. Opposite of drag.
PAYLOAD Anything that an aircraft carries beyond what is required for its operation during flight.
TRAILING EDGE The rearmost edge of an airfoil.
POSITIONING Ferrying aircraft for departure from other than originating airport.
TRANSPONDER An airborne transmitter that responds to automated air traffic control interrogation with accurate position information.
RADAR System that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of moving and fixed objects. RAMP The apron or open ‘tarmac’ in front of an FBO or terminal facility. This space is busy, used for deplaning, parking of aircraft, etc. ROLL One of three axes in flight, specifying the action around a central point. ROTATE In flight, any aircraft will rotate about its centre of gravity, a point which is the average location of the mass of the aircraft. RUDDER Aircraft control surface attached to the rear of the vertical stabiliser (fin) of the aircraft tail. Forces the plane to veer left or right. RUNWAY HEADING Magnetic direction corresponding to the centre line of the runway. SLATS Small, aerodynamic surfaces on the leading edge of the wings of fixed aircraft which allow the wing to operate at a higher angle of attack. SLIPSTREAM The flow of air driven backward by a propeller or downward by a rotor. SMALL-CABIN JETS Typical capacity 5-8 passengers. SQUAWK A four-digit number that a pilot dials into his transponder to identify his aircraft to air traffic controllers.
TURBINE Engine that uses compressed air to generate thrust to spin a metal shaft inside the motor, used in jet engines and turboprop aircraft. TURBOPROP An aircraft in which the propeller is driven by a jet-style turbine rather than a piston. VERY LIGHT JETS (VLJ) Small jet aircraft approved for single-pilot operation, maximum take-off weight of less than 10,000 lb (4,540 kg). VFR (Visual Flight Rules) A defined set of FAA regulations covering operation of aircraft flying by visual reference to the horizon. VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) Ground-based radio navigation aid. VORTICES Regions of high velocity that develop at the tip of a wing as it flies through the air. WIND SHEAR Large changes in either wind speed or direction at different altitudes that can cause sudden gain or loss of airspeed.
STATUTE MILE A unit of length equal to 5,280 feet.
WINGLET A small, stabilising, rudder-like addition to the tips of a wing to control or employ air movement, thereby increasing fuel economy.
SVS (Synthetic Vision System) A technology that uses 3D to provide pilots with intuitive means of understanding their flying environment.
YAW One of the three axes in flight, specifying the side-to-side movement of an aircraft on its vertical axis.
TAIL NUMBER An airplane’s registration number.
YOKE The control wheel of an aircraft, akin to an automobile steering wheel.
PPR
presents
SEE IT HERE
AIRBORNESHOWDIARY
EBACE Geneva
MAY 2012 14 – 16 MAY
EBACE 2012 (EUROPEAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION)
Palexpo and Geneva International Airport, Geneva, Switzerland
www.ebace.aero
25 – 27 MAY
AEROEXPO UK 2012
Sywell Aerodome, UK
www.expo.aero/uk
FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW
Farnborough Airport, UK
www.farnborough.com/airshow-2012
LABACE (LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION) 2012
São Paulo Brazil
www.abag.org.br/labace2012
ILA BERLIN AIR SHOW 2012
Berlin ExpoCenter Airport, Germany
www.ila-berlin.de
JA 2012 (JAPAN INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE EXHIBITION)
Central Japan International Airport www.japanaerospace.jp/english (Centrair); and Port Messe Nagoya, Japan
JULY 2012 09 – 15 JUL
AUGUST 2012 16 – 18 AUG
SEPTEMBER 2012 11 – 16 SEP OCTOBER 2012 09 – 14 OCT
30 OCT - 01 NOV NBAA 2012 (NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION)
Orange County Convention Center and Orlando Executive Airport, Florida, USA
www.nbaa.org
INDO AEROSPACE 2012 EXPO & FORUM
Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia
www.indoaerospace.com
MEBA 2012 (MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS AVIATION)
Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
www.meba.aero
AVALON 2013 (AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW AND DEFENCE & AEROSPACE EXPOSITION)
Avalon Airport, Victoria, Australia
www.airshow.net.au
19 – 21 MAR
ASIAN AEROSPACE 2013
AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong
www.asianaerospace.com
19 – 21 MAR
ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION (ABA) HONG KONG
Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre, Hong Kong
www.asianbusinessav.com
ABACE 2013 (ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION)
Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre, China
www.abace.aero
NOVEMEBER 2012 07 – 10 NOV
DECEMBER 2012 11 – 13 DEC
FEBRUARY 2013 26 FEB – 3 MAR
MARCH 2013
APRIL 2013 16 – 18 APR
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AIRBORNETAILHOOK
FAST & CURIOUS by Rainer Sigel
NEW ZEALAND HAS PRODUCED MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE OF ECCENTRIC ADVENTURE SPORTS. The world has this country to thank for Bungee Jumping, Black Water Rafting (shooting through pitch-dark underground water rapids while roped to an old truck tyre), Zorbing (look it up) and other neck-breaking exploits. Even next to such far-fetched and off-the-wall pursuits, Rudy Heeman stands tall. By spending 800 hours liberating and reassembling parts from a barbecue, his daughter’s scooter, and his wife’s car, the inventor created a hovercraft that flies. The resulting Hoverwing is a standard hovercraft fitted with detachable wings that takes off from any water surface and flies at almost 100 km/h at a height of around 1.5 metres. Heeman says: “This machine roars like a lion and is not for the faint-hearted. It is adrenalin-pumping and exciting.” No kidding. “I’ve taught myself how to fly, and my hovercraft how to fly,” he adds. Having a go on it has been said to feel like a bungee jump, except that the thrill lasts as long as the ride. Heeman also points out that his Hoverwing can be a big help to sheep farmers in New Zealand: “You can land in a paddock and you wouldn’t have to worry about opening and closing the gates. You just go over them.” Whatever one may think about the man and his machine, Heeman managed to sell his flying sheepdog at an auction recently. So what’s next, New Zealand — cordless bungee?
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