Bombardier Experience Magazine 22

Bombardier Business aircraft magazine

issue 22 2014

keeping up with f1 superstar lewis hamilton

OBC

Black Toro Patented Perpetual Calendar. Self-winding movement.

18 ct rose gold case with ceramic bezel.

Water-resistant to 100 m. Also available on leather strap.

W W W . U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M

F O R A C ATA L O G , C A L L 5 61 - 9 8 8 - 8 6 0 0 O R E M A I L : U S A

meet the learjet 75 aircraft + corporate angels take flight inside indochina + swiss watchmaking secrets + private fiji

rolls-royce.com

CorporateCare®a global liquid asset

THE STRENGTH TO LEAD BOMBARDIER HAS A HISTORY OF INSPIRING CHANGE WITH CONFIDENCE, OF FORGING AHEAD THROUGH UNCHARTED GROUND, OF PROGRESS, OF LEADERSHIP, AND OF INNOVATION. ACROSS THE FULL RANGE, OUR AIRCRAFT DON’T JUST BREAK THE MOLD, THEY RECAST IT.

Bombardier, Learjet, Challenger and Global are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2014 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aircraft enrolled on CorporateCare have higher asset values and liquidity as well as access to a truly global service network. So while you are enjoying engine reliability, supported by the resources and engineering expertise of the OEM, you’ll know you are helping to maximize your asset’s value and liquidity for the future. For more on CorporateCare, contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email corporate.care@rolls-royce.com.

businessaircraft.bombardier.com Trusted to deliver excellence.

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Cover Story fast company By 23 he was the youngest world champion in F1 history. Now find out what Lewis Hamilton gets up to when he’s not behind the wheel.

By Stephanie Plentl

In This Issue 22

Featured Aircraft Meet the Learjet 75 Aircraft Presenting a business jet that pairs half a century of heritage with high-tech innovations.

By Eve Thomas

32

Profiles The Real Deal Echo Entertainment’s casino-resorts capture the essence of their destinations.

By Tatyana Leonov

4

Experience

36

44

Inside Indochina A journey aboard a Challenger aircraft reveals the ancient majesty of the Southeast Asian peninsula.

48

An Angel Gets Its Wings Lincoln Financial Group and the Corporate Angel Network are giving flight to the fight against cancer.

54

By Michael Johnson

Travel The Best of Times A look inside two houses redefining the art of luxury watchmaking in Switzerland.

By Carol Besler

Fantasy Island A trip to Fiji’s Laucala Island reveals a private island-turnedresort that treats every guest like an owner.

By Neal McLennan

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54 9

14

16

18

60

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Must Have Goods Fresh inspiration in style, technology, travel, culture and media.

Cities Where to dine, shop and live it up in London.

Hotels Our favorite stays around the globe.

Design Where classic construction and innovation come together.

Cars A look at the world of wheels.

48 In Every Issue 6

President’s Letter

7

Contributors

60

Wingspan Meet the team behind the Learjet 85 aircraft’s first flight.

66

Fleet Features and facts about each Bombardier Business Aircraft.

71

News Bombardier Business Aircraft in the headlines.

Experience

5

president’s letter

O

ne of the privileges of my new role at Bombardier Business Aircraft is having the pleasure to welcome you to the latest edition of Experience magazine. We’re extremely proud to showcase our outstanding products and services within its pages and the multitude of experiences they make possible around the world.

Our first stop is Wichita, Kansas, where the Learjet 85 aircraft took to the skies earlier this year for the first time.

The Learjet 85 aircraft will redefine the midsize segment as the largest and fastest Learjet aircraft ever. A tremendous amount of hard work and preparation was involved in reaching this significant milestone, and we’re delighted to show you highlights from that special day.

Next, we catch up with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, who explains why his Challenger 605 aircraft is the ultimate way to travel for business. We also travel to Sydney, Australia, where the Star Casino and Hotel shows us the luxurious amenities and services it provides to its distinguished guests, including transportation on Global Express XRS aircraft. We then join a pair of proud Challenger 300 aircraft customers on a stunning and exotic journey of discovery throughout Indochina.

Finally, you can find the Bombardier Business Aircraft team in person in Geneva, Switzerland, at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE).

There, the newest members of the Global aircraft family, the Global 7000 and Global 8000, will take center stage

with an impressive full-size Global 7000 mock-up.

We hope you can experience firsthand the unparalleled luxury and performance the next generation of Global aircraft will deliver.

We also invite you to discover the great stories that make up this issue of Experience. Enjoy!

éric Martel President, Bombardier Business Aircraft

Experience magazine is accessible online at zinio.com or at bombardierexperiencemagazine.com

contacts Montreal (Headquarters) 400 Côte-Vertu Road West Dorval, Quebec, Canada H4S 1Y9 — Aircraft Sales T 1 514 855 7388 bombardier.com

Africa and the Middle East Aircraft Sales T 971 4601 6350 Asia-Pacific Aircraft Sales T 852 2827 6464

China Aircraft Sales T 86 10 8517 2268 France Aircraft Sales T 33 1 4919 2243

Latin and South America Aircraft Sales T 1 972 960 3823 Germany Aircraft Sales T 49 228 253 094

Russia Aircraft Sales T 44 1252 526 605 United Kingdom Aircraft Sales T 44 1252 526 605

India Aircraft Sales T 91 996 700 8808

Bombardier, Learjet, Learjet 40 XR, Learjet 45 XR, Learjet 60 XR, Learjet 70, Learjet 75, Learjet 85, Challenger, Challenger 300, Challenger 350, Challenger 605, Challenger 850, Global, Global 5000, Global Express XRS, Global 6000, Global 7000, Global 8000 and Bombardier Vision flight deck are trademarks of Bombardier inc. or its subsidiaries.

2 All performance data are preliminary estimates.

3 nice is a registered trademark of Lufthansa Technik.

4 MultiScan weather radar, Collins Pro Line 21 Advanced and Pro Line Fusion are registered trademarks of Rockwell Collins.

5 The Learjet 85, Global 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft are in the development phase. All data and specifications are estimates, subject to changes in family strategy, branding, capacity and performance during the development, manufacture and certification process. * Actual range will be affected by speed, weather, selected options and other factors.

1

Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications Jacqueline Epifanie Advisor, Media and Public Relations Anna Cristofaro

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement Number 40016252 //

6

Experience

United States Aircraft Sales — Challenger & Global Jets T 1 949 718 4920 — Learjet Aircraft T 1 316 946 2000 — Pre Owned Aircraft T 1 972 960 3862

ISSN 1925-4105

CONTRIBUTORS

Issue 22

Carol Besler

experiencemagazine@spafax.com

The Best of Times (page 48)

Editorial

For more than 20 years, Carol Besler has been the go-to watch writer for luxury publications like Worth, Haute Living, Robb Report and the Financial Post (to name a few), making her the perfect person to visit the top ateliers in Montreux, Switzerland. She hopes to return to the region again soon – this time to visit its famed jazz festival.

Editor Natasha Mekhail Associate Editor Eve Thomas Editorial Intern Natacha Medeiros Copy Editor Jonathan Furze Fact Checker Lisa Voormeij Proofreader Jane Pavanel art Art Director Christine Houde Graphic Designer Marie Roques

Donny Colantonio

Meet the Learjet 75 Aircraft (page 22), First in Flight (page 60)

production Production Director Joelle Irvine Production Manager Jennifer Fagan Contributors Dan Abraham, Carol Besler, Chris Chilton, Marco Cibola, Donny Colantonio, Ellen Himelfarb, Kurt Iswarienko, Michael Johnson, Christopher Korchin, Jasmin Legatos, Tatyana Leonov, Tracey Jarvis, Paige Magarrey, Joss McKinley, Neal McLennan, Stephanie Plentl, Mark Rook, Amanda Ross, Brett Schaenfield, Brett Schauf, Natasha V.

As an in-house photographer and content creator for Bombardier Aerospace, Donny Colantonio puts his passion for design and art to good use capturing the most stunning business jets in the world.

For this issue he shot both the Learjet 75 and Learjet 85 aircraft. His next project will have him touring and photographing Tokyo, Japan.

© Copyright 2014 by Spafax Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Experience magazine is published twice per year by Spafax Inc. Points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of Bombardier Business Aircraft. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibility for the return or safety of unsolicited art, photographs or manuscripts.

Printed in Canada.

Stephanie Plentl Fast Company (page 28)

Paris-born, London-based journalist and filmmaker Stephanie Plentl writes for Vanity Fair, The Sunday Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveler and Porter, among others.

For this issue of Experience, she got up close and personal with racing phenom Lewis Hamilton – an encounter she says stoked a fervor for Formula One. Next on the itinerary: fine-tuning her skiing skills in the Alps.

Printed on FSC® Certified and 100% Chlorine Free paper.

SPAFAX President, Content Marketing Raymond Girard

Senior Strategist, Luxury Brands Courtney MacNeil

National Sales Manager Tracy Miller tmiller@spafax.com

Project Leader, Luxury Brands Celyn Harding-Jones

North America – United States Media Sales Director Mary Rae Esposito maryrae.esposito@ spafaxnetworks.com

Chief Executive Officer, Spafax Niall McBain

Vice President, Content Marketing Nino Di Cara

Executive Vice President, Media Katrin Kopvillem

Vice President, Finance and Operations Paula Pergantis

ADVERTISING & MEDIA SALES

Content Director Arjun Basu

Media Director Laura Maurice lmaurice@spafax.com

South America Spafax Medios y Publicidad Ltda.

Deborah Mogelberg dmogelberg@spafax.com Asia – Singapore Spafax Airline Network PTE, Ltd. Geraldine Lee glee@spafax.com

Europe – London Spafax Inflight Media Arnold Green agreen@spafax.com Middle East – Dubai Spafax Dubai Nick Hopkins nhopkins@spafax.com ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw mshaw@spafax.com

Production and Circulation Coordinator Stephen Geraghty sgeraghty@spafax.com spafax.com Toronto 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1020 Toronto, ON, Canada M4W 1A8 T 1 416 350 2425 F 1 416 350 2440 Montreal 4200, boul. Saint-Laurent, Bureau 707 Montreal, QC, Canada H2W 2R2 T 1 514 844 2001 F 1 514 844 6001

Experience

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must have goods / cities / HOTELS / DESIGN / CARS

Blanket statement Inspired by the Royal Ascot’s famous – and decidedly white-glove – carpark luncheons, we forego gingham for glamour to embrace the timeless tradition of picnicking. Clockwise from top left: Hermès wool and cashmere blanket, Serapian suede-lined leather bag, Williams-Sonoma cotton napkins and metal napkin ring, Noritake Chatelaine Platinum fine-bone china, Christofle Aria flatware, Ercuis silver plate stand, Vera Wang for Wedgwood salt and pepper set, Christian Louboutin leather heels, Reed & Barton metal ice bucket and tray.

Experience

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must have: goods Style

jurassic sparkle moniquepean.com

When jeweler Monique Péan searches the past for inspiration, she looks far back – millions of years, in fact. Find black dinosaur bone in elegant, one-of-a-kind accessories such as necklaces and money clips, alongside other rare specimens, including fossilized woolly mammoth and walrus tusk. Though her materials may be a thing of the past, the New York-based designer pairs them masterfully with a modern aesthetic, not to mention a strong ethical stance.

Fossils are gathered by Alaskan natives, diamonds are conflict-free and even the 18-karat gold is 100 percent recycled. –NDM

Art Springs psmuseum.org

Dining

Taiwan On lemout.com

Traditional French cooking gets a Taiwanese twist care of Lanshu Chen, Veuve Clicquot’s pick for Asia’s Best Female Chef of 2014. Before opening Le Moût in Taichung and Le Moût Kitchen in Taipei, Chen worked with Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé and apprenticed at the French Laundry in California. In addition to fusing French and Taiwanese cuisine, she is fond of teaming specialized ingredients (such as Iranian caviar, lamb from the Pyrenees and rare kinki fish from Hokkaido) with local produce. The only downside to her win? It might make getting a table at Le Moût Kitchen that much more difficult: The restaurant seats a single table per night. –TL

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Experience

The Palm Springs Art Museum’s collection was once heavy on natural history and light on modern fare. But after collecting design pieces for over a decade, it was time to ditch the taxidermy and focus on the contemporary. So the museum bought and renovated the former Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan building, a modernist gem landmark.

The new Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, is slated to open in fall 2014 with a retrospective of chairs by Frank Gehry.

But first up: 66 founders have already pledged funding for the building’s restoration (with a cap of 100 founder-level memberships on offer), enough to showcase the building during Modernism Week in February 2014. Of course, if you’d like a wing named after you, the museum is all ears. –AR

photos: Natasha v. (previous page); stylist: serge kerbel; Styling credits: serapian, available at betty hemmings, bettyhemmingsleathergoods.com; noritake, christolfe, ecruis, teuscher Chocolates, vera wang for wedgewood, reed & barton, available at william ashley, williamashley.com; christian louboutin, available at david’s footwear, Davidsfootwear.com; Moët & Chandon Imperial brut, available at lcbo.com

Design

Media

Drawing from Experience assouline.com

photos: (palm springs) Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan, 1960, Julius Shulman (1910–2009), photographer; E. Stewart Williams (1909–2005), architect, © J. Paul Getty Trust, Used with permission; Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004.R.10); © Alan Karchmer (assouline)

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is responsible for some of the most spectacular structures in the world, from the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens to the upcoming World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City. While millions may enjoy his feats of design and structural engineering, Assouline will release only 12 copies of his signed, self-titled volume. Buyers receive more than just an autograph: Each copy comes with an original Calatrava architectural drawing in the endpapers. –NDM

Tech

On the Case

thecasefactory.com

Design

Dream Weavers therugcompany.com

The Rug Company makes carpets fit for a queen – literally. Nepalese weavers worked tirelessly to produce a black-and-gold work of art, complete with silk monogram and crown, for Queen Elizabeth II for her 2012 Jubilee. Anyone celebrating a similar milestone can order their own bespoke, ethically made rug using materials such as mohair and cashmere, or simply select a piece from Alexander McQueen’s exclusive designs for the London company (pictured).

The line also includes wall hangings and cushions, and the latest collections (Monarch and Folklore) come care of the fashion house’s current creative director, Sarah Burton. –TJ

It’s not enough for a smartphone case to be all flash and no function anymore – it must balance aesthetic appeal with durable design.

The Case Factory’s Italian-Swedish heritage positions it perfectly in the growing market for iPhone and tablet covers that rival luxury handbags. The brand uses leather from the Italian tanneries that supply Hermès and Bottega Veneta, and the founder’s great-grandfather was a famous Tolentino-based leatherworker who outfitted royalty.

CITES-approved skins used include crocodile and python. –BS Experience

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Beauty

Flower Power byredo.com

Culture

Meet the Met metmuseum.org

When the Met’s costume department reopens its doors this May after two years of renovations, it will be a very Vogue affair. The newly christened Anna Wintour Costume Center is a tribute to the editor-in-chief’s 15-year status as a Met trustee. She’s also widely credited with turning its fundraising galas into red carpet events on par with the Oscars. The institute’s inaugural exhibit (running until August), Charles James: Beyond Fashion, showcases pieces by the self-taught British designer. After moving to New York in 1940, he set to work making gowns for socialites like Babe Paley and Diana Vreeland, and it wasn’t long before his designs were in the world’s top fashion magazines. –BS Travel

Auction in Action

christies.com // abercrombiekent.com

Abercrombie & Kent has always prided itself on showing people the world through the eyes of its local experts, whether cycling through France or cruising the Antarctic. Now that the luxury tour operator has partnered with the team at Christie’s auction house, world travelers with an eye for art can expect unprecedented access to the world’s top galleries and fairs, as well as insight into both art history and investment. The first trips on the agenda include a journey to India’s ateliers and palaces with Dr. Hugo K. Weihe and tours of South Africa’s private collections and estates with Lady Annabelle Conyngham. –ET

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Experience

Cult perfume house Byredo celebrates summer with a new scent inspired by a traditional Indian wedding. Through Flowerhead, founder Ben Gorham (a native Swede born to an Indian mother and Canadian father) reimagines the multi-day celebration entirely through its aromatic landscape. At the fragrance’s heart: the flowers featured in garlands exchanged by the bride and groom and atop the mandap wedding canopy, including rose petals and wild jasmine sambac, native to southern India. And because this is Byredo, known for the bold, raw beauty of its formulas, expect a unisex scent that commands attention. –BS

photos: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s (met museum); CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014 (christie’S); Francesc Guillamet/phaidon.com (elbulli)

must Musthave: Have:goods goods

Design

Back to Basics

vacheron-constantin.com

In the last quarter century, watch designers have invented and reinvented the gear train and grown cases to the size of 1980s mobile phones. Today, however, elite watchmakers are paring pieces down by “skeletonizing” them – that is, carving away the bridges and Dining

Foodie Foundation elbulli.com

Gastronomes around the world gasped when Ferran Adrià shuttered his legendary three-Michelin-starred restaurant in 2011, but the molecular chef is going strong with two projects. The first: elBulli 2005–2011, Phaidon’s seven-volume cookbook. (“Everyone is free to interpret the recipes and modify them as they please,” Adrià assures Experience readers.) Diehard fans may have to wait a bit longer for the second course: the elBulli Foundation, slated to open in 2015 on the Costa Brava where the restaurant once stood. The institute will house a screening room, archives and the original elBulli kitchen – remade as a research center. –TJ

Style

Game Changer

hickmanandbousfield.com

Hickman & Bousfield’s debut collection feels right off the set of Out of Africa, and it should come as no surprise – the safari outfitter’s founders, Caroline Hickman and Justine Luxton, both have a background in costume design. Hickman is based out of Jack’s Camp, a luxury lodge in Botswana run by her partner Ralph Bousfield, so the range of men’s and women’s shirts, shorts and jackets is as practical as it is elegant. Italian linen, crisp cotton and trilby hats are ideal for game drives, while moleskin, waxed cotton and cashmere beanies can cross over to cooler climates, including urban jungles. –SP

plates to the bare mechanisms, and engraving or filigreeing what’s left. One spectacular result is the Vacheron Constantin Caliber 2790 SQ tourbillon. The timepiece took 500 hours to engrave, adding another level of exquisite complexity to its already lovely bones. –CB Experience

13

must have: cities

modern english

London’s grandest dames are ready for their second acts. The city’s best addresses have hosted heads of state, Hollywood stars and every branch of the royal family for over a century. Now, after extensive renovations, the top hotels are once again destinations unto themselves.

Timeless glamour and quintessentially British service?

Still in place. But stodgy decor and Sunday lunches have given way to daring design, modern art and Michelinstarred menus. And while the doormen still don top hats, they are ready to receive locals, regulars and a brand new generation of world travelers.

By Eve Thomas

Drawing Inspiration In light of a citywide revival of artists-in-residence programs (Stephen Fry at The Savoy; Alain de Botton at Heathrow’s Terminal 5), Claridge’s hired lauded fashion illustrator David Downton to capture guests like Dita Von Teese on paper – a welcome personal touch in a digital world.

Stay

Made in Mayfair If the mahogany stairs in the Edwardian lobby of the Connaught look familiar, perhaps you’ve spied them before, even if you’ve never been a guest: Ralph Lauren reportedly tried to buy the staircase for his flagship store on New York’s Madison Avenue, but had to settle for an artful replica. The atmosphere at this six-floor, Mayfair Village hotel is more home-awayfrom-home than see-and-be-seen. It might take you a moment to spot the Richard Serra behind the front desk, the Julian Opies in the Coburg Bar or even the pale Damien Hirst butterflies in the two-Michelinstar Hélène Darroze restaurant. And the Connaught Bar (with its famed martini cart) is a testament to the meticulous renovations – what appears to be a perfectly preserved art deco interior actually debuted in 2008, designed by the late David Collins.

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Experience

Shop

Estate Sale Where but in Mayfair can you stop in at Purdey’s for heritage hunting gear, then stroll up the block for ornate footwear from Charlotte Olympia? While an afternoon at Selfridges or Liberty is a must, discreet entrances and bespoke service reign at British brands’ Mayfair shops, including Mulberry, Stella McCartney and Smythson, which sells a line of diaries dedicated to the neighborhood. Of course, enterprising (or on-thego) hotel guests needn’t leave the lobby. Claridge’s is home to the only Assouline shop in the city. Select suites at the Connaught come stocked with Burberry trenches and shoeshines come care of John Lobb. At the Berkeley, guests can borrow vintage accessories (think Lacroix earrings or a Chanel clutch) from the Atelier-Mayer-curated Fashion Trunk or slip into Lady Bamford’s clothing line, styled in effortlessly luxe materials such as lambskin, cashmere and organic cotton.

Do

Park Life While many urban spas profess to be in touch with nature, the Bamford Haybarn Spa at the Berkeley truly feels a world away from Knightsbridge – as far away as the Cotswolds, in fact, where the brand originated.

Opened last summer, the spa is all whitewashed interiors and raw design details: potted herbs, bare-branch hooks, a rooftop “secret garden” complete with fig trees. These touches suggest the English countryside, where the spa’s organic oils are cold-pressed, while also complementing the stunning poolside views of Hyde Park. Back at the Connaught you’ll find another rare place for repose. In fact, it’s the only one of its kind in the world – an Aman spa outside of an Aman resort. Deep down in the hotel’s new wing discover world-famous tailored ayurvedic treatments, a state-of-the-art gym and a granite water wall overlooking a copper-filtered pool.

Experience

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must have: hotels

Getaways Our favorite stays around the globe.

Be Jeweled Precious-stone displays adorn the Jewel Suite, and the Champagne Suite stocks rare vintages.

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Experience

Manhattan

The NEW YORK PALACE newyorkpalace.com

Where It doesn’t get more Manhattan than The New York Palace at 50th and Madison. It was here that American financier Henry Villard elected to build his Gilded-Age mansion in 1882, and today, the majestic old bones of his Xanadu fuse seamlessly with the 55-floor hotel. Fresh from its $140-million transformation last year, the belle of Midtown dazzles once again. STAY The Palace jewels are two new 5,000-square-foot themed suites, perfect for throwing lavish parties or romantic tête-à-têtes.

The Champagne Suite comes with a fully stocked cave à vin (the only private hotel wine cave in the city). The Jewel Suite by Martin Katz, meanwhile, puts the celebrity designer’s work on display in “floating” jewel boxes.

One-on-one consultations with Katz can be arranged, but even those who don’t seek his counsel receive one of his diamond microbands as a parting gift. DINE The arrival of Villard Michel Richard restaurant and Pomme Palais pâtisserie mark the West Coast chef’s first forays into the NY culinary scene. Diners will love the cheeky juxtaposition of pop art with the Renaissance-revival opulence of Villard’s former study and music room. Throw another high-low twist into the mix by ordering Chef Richard’s famous fried chicken. DO Though visitors may be tempted to while away the day in the Jewel and Champagne suites’ rooftop Jacuzzis, the Big Apple awaits. Take advantage of the Maybach car service, complimentary with your stay.

EXTRAS The suites’ rooftop gardens, specially curated libraries and sumptuous boudoirs offer plenty of indulgent appeal, but for sheer down-to-earth charm we loved the wood-burning fireplaces, among only a handful grand­ fathered into historic New York hotels. –NM

Cabo San Lucas

Capella Pedregal capellahotels.com/cabosanlucas

Where This boutique property sits on 24 secluded acres at the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, connected to the town of Cabo San Lucas by an almost 1,000-foot-long private tunnel cutting through the heart of Pedregal Mountain. Oversized chandeliers and low-lit torches set the mood in the dramatic entrance before giving way to a sun-drenched expanse of beachfront. Stay With Pacific-facing rooms, you’ll appreciate picture-perfect sightlines at every turn.

Each accommodation features a soothing desert palette of custom Mexican furnishings (think linens embroidered by Otomi people and the humblest switch plate embellished in iron by artisans), as well as private outdoor plunge pools and daily deliveries of guacamole, salsa and Coronitas. For a romantic getaway, the 1,600-square-foot, top-floor Estrella Suite offers a cozy outdoor fire pit and double terrace. Two-, three- and four-bedroom stand-alone villas come equipped with Viking appliances and a majordomo, who can help with

tasks like grocery shopping and hosting private dinners.

Dine The cliffside, al fresco El Farallón is hard to beat when it comes to both sunset views and fresh flavors. The seafood-focused menu changes daily and the local catch, like the blue-skinned parrot fish, is butter-poached and then char-grilled to flaky perfection. At the hotel’s signature restaurant, Don Manuel’s, chef Yvan Mucharraz infuses his nouveau Mexican dishes with traditional ingredients like horchata and corn (the seared sea bass with vanilla-corn pudding and popcorn dust cleverly showcases the crop’s diversity). Couples can also reserve a table in the wine cellar, where dining is done by candlelight alongside the hotel’s best bottles.

DO The award-winning Auriga Spa is a haven within a haven. Offering therapies that correspond to the lunar cycle, each visit starts with a foot-cleansing ritual that uses herbs like rosemary and fennel to awaken your senses. Treatment rooms open up directly to the spa’s saltwater meditation pool. Extras Day of the Dead-themed leather notebooks and bespoke tableware like that used at Don Manuel’s make for fun souvenirs.

AlmArte, the hotel’s boutique, also offers exclusive designs created specifically for the property by visiting designers for their regular trunk shows. –JL

coast along Stand-alone villas are tucked between Pedregal Mountain and the Pacific ocean.

Experience

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must have: design

Crystal Gazing

At once classic and contemporary, delicately cut crystal lighting, furniture and accessories add a dash of old-world charm to any modern space.

By Paige Magarrey

Starry Night architecture.swarovski.com

For a subtle sparkle, UK-based designer Tord Boontje’s Stellar Doma chandelier for Swarovski is inspired by the night sky and geode rocks. The interior of the arched pendant is filled with bursts of decorative crystals that shimmer against embedded LEDs.

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Experience

Light-Bulb Moment leebroom.com

Crafted using the same hand-cut techniques normally reserved for traditional whisky glasses and decanters, British designer Lee Broom’s award-winning Crystal Bulb is beautiful enough to hang sans shade. The lead crystal form comes in pendant or table versions and as a simple bulb.

Color Theory hay.dk

Peak Performance

Luxury crystal glassware gets a splash of color from Amsterdam’s Scholten & Baijings, which launched the Colour Glass line exclusively for Danish furniture brand Hay. The water glasses, wineglasses, Champagne flutes and carafes feature various motifs, including delicate grid lines, subtle swatches and gradations.

History in the Making baccarat.com

aruliden.com

Terrariums have always been a simple way to add low-maintenance green space to sleek residences, but New York design studio Aruliden’s Glasscape collection is anything but old-fashioned. The hand-blown vessels are punctuated by a mountain-like interior and can also be used as table accents or creative fishbowls.

Inspired by a 1910 Medici vase, Philippe Starck’s Harcourt Marie-Louise table lamp for Baccarat (which also manufactured the original) features a clear crystal diffuser on a mirrorpolished chrome base that gives off an understated ambient glow when lit and the impression of an elegant sculpture when turned off.

Sitting Pretty kartell.it

Though actually made out of durable polycarbonate, Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka’s sculptural Sparkle stools and side tables for Kartell have the look and feel of finely cut crystal, an illusion furthered by the collection’s twisted shapes that reflect the light, giving each piece their namesake quality.

Experience

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Must Have: cars Game Gear

mercedes-benz.com

Today’s realistic racing video games aren’t just for kids – they’re enjoyed by grown-ups too, which is why Mercedes came up with the AMG Vision Gran Turismo exclusively for the latest installment of the popular Gran Turismo racing simulator franchise. While Mercedes has no plans to produce a road-going version of the 585-hp twin-turbo V8-powered machine, might some of the Vision’s design cues reappear on the all-new supercar that Mercedes is building to take on the Porsche 911? We’ll have to wait until 2016 to find out.

In Transit

The latest and greatest in the world of automotive design.

By Chris Chilton

Sleek SUV jaguar.com

Identity Shift bmw.com

Originally built to contest the European Touring Car races it would go on to dominate in the late 1980s, BMW’s M3 coupe evolved into a brilliant street car over four generations.

In 2014, BMW is reserving the M3 badge for its all-new high-performance sedan, while the coupe gets a name change to the BMW M4. Both feature turbo power for the first time – in this case a 431-hp, 3.0-L straight six in place of the old car’s 4.0-L V8. There’s even a carbon ceramic brake option, normally the preserve of senior-league supercars, but appropriate for a vehicle that is held in as high regard as many Italian exotics.

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Experience

The F-type convertible and its new coupe twin are great image builders for Jaguar, but what dealers are really crying out for is an SUV. Unlike its German rivals, Jaguar completely missed out on the noughties explosion in high-rise luxury cars, one reason why its output accounts for only 20 percent of total Jaguar-Land Rover production. Sister brand Land Rover has the square-rigged SUV angle covered, so the Jaguar C-X17 is a more svelte, driverfocused affair. The official word is that the pretty aluminum crossover is merely a concept, but privately, insiders say it’ll be in showrooms by 2016.

California Dreaming ferrari.com

Echoing the shift to turbocharged power in this year’s Formula One racers, Ferrari is embracing the technology for its road cars, too. The updated California’s 552-hp V8 is slightly smaller than its predecessor’s, but turbo power helps it accelerate even more quickly, while simultaneously cutting exhaust emissions. If the engine specifications look firmly forward, the refreshed styling tips a hat to Ferrari’s glorious past.

Conceived by Ferrari’s in-house styling department in conjunction with legendary design house Pininfarina, the California’s aluminum sheet-metal draws inspiration from the 250 Testa Rossa sports racer of the 1950s (though that car certainly never had the luxury of an electrically folding hardtop).

The sea is our home.

By day it is our waking view, our playground, our road to places both familiar and unexplored. It takes us to dense cities and pristine coves. Atolls and icebergs. Ancient archaeological wonders and modernday marvels. By night it is the soothing floor beneath us, flashing a glimmer toward our windows as we dine, unwind, remember our day. It is our passion. That’s why we have chosen to call The World home.

To learn more about the rare opportunity to become a part of this unique lifestyle, we invite you to explore further aboardtheworld.com. +1 954 538 8449 | ResidentialAdvisor@aboardtheworld.com

featured aircraft

m eet t h e

Learjet 75 airc raf t

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Presenting a remarkable business jet that pairs half a century of heritage with high-tech innovations.

By Eve Thomas | photos by donny colantonio

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Performance and Efficiency Learjet aircraft are soaring ahead of the competition in the light aircraft segment thanks to the Learjet 75. Entered into service in December 2013, it retains the elements that have made the Learjet brand famous for almost 50 years. It also builds on the trusted technology and design found in its predecessors, the Learjet 40 XR and Learjet 45 XR aircraft, and across the Bombardier Business Aircraft family. The Learjet 75 aircraft can quickly reach a high speed of Mach 0.81 (under certain operating conditions) and offers a maximum range of 2,040 nautical miles (3,778 kilometers) at cruise speeds of Mach 0.75, connecting city pairs, including ParisCairo and Chicago-Mexico City, with four passengers and two crew members aboard. With a ceiling of 51,000 feet (15,545 meters), the aircraft can easily avoid weather complications and congestion found at lower operating altitudes, making for a smoother, faster flight.

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featured aircraft

Functionality and Interior Design From design to technology, the Learjet 75 cabin is a nod to the upcoming Learjet 85 aircraft, as well as a result of one of Bombardier Business Aircraft’s most vital tools: extensive customer feedback and focus groups. The aircraft’s 19.75-foot (6.02-meter) cabin features a double-club configuration that translates into eight restyled executive seats.

The aft lavatory is separated from the cabin by solid panel doors, and the redesigned galley features a 27-percent increase in workspace and more catering storage than its predecessor. Seven-inch pop-up touchscreen monitors offer passengers audio and video capabilities in flight, connecting you to the world when you fly. Additional options include SwiftBroadband, XM Radio, a 3D Moving Map system and Iridium Satellite phone communications. In the forward club section, 20-inch (51-centimeter) executive tables fold out from the side ledges, transforming the aircraft into your personal office in the air.

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Avionics And Operation Introduced to the world in Global aircraft, the Bombardier Vision flight deck puts the company’s top-of-the-line business jet design and technology in the pilot’s seat – literally. Intuitive navigation and communications capabilities are brought together to decrease pilot workload and increase situational awareness, keeping passengers safer and pilots more efficient. Features include graphical flight-planning, touchscreen controllers and Synthetic Vision System, giving pilots a clear picture of their external environment, regardless of the hour or weather. Operating costs are reduced and aerodynamic efficiency is improved thanks to redesigned, canted winglets and powerful Honeywell engines, and the aircraft benefits from a maintenance program upon entry into service. For fixed inspections – set every 600 flight-hours – customers can access Bombardier’s network of customer service centers. New centers are being planned, along with parts depots and maintenance facilities, and existing sites are always improving their capabilities and efficiency, ensuring support around the globe.

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High flyer: Lewis Hamilton

Fast Company At five, he showed an uncanny gift for auto racing; by 23, he was the youngest world champion in F1 history. But what does Lewis Hamilton do when he’s not behind the wheel?

By Stephanie Plentl | photos by Kurt Iswarienko

T

he night before our interview, Lewis Hamilton is on the 10 o’clock news. In a preseason test race in Jerez, Spain, the Formula One champion found his brakes compromised and was sent careering into a barrier.

Unscathed and smiling (and with only minor damage to his newly unveiled Mercedes W05), the 29-year-old Briton talked reporters through what he casually calls a “hiccup.” It’s a reminder of the very real risks behind one of the world’s most glamorous sporting industries.

Hamilton, however, was calm and analytical in the face of danger – as conditioned to perform under stress as the exceptional car he’s been entrusted to drive. “ I’m fearless, and I have been since I was a kid,” he tells me the next morning without a trace of bravado. Admitting that he’d gone to bed with several aches, he feels fine now; he’s sitting with Roscoe, his cherished British bulldog, at his feet. In Hamilton’s downtime – when he’s not hurtling around a track at 250 km/h – he chases thrills in other high-intensity sports. “I’m an adrenaline junkie,” he enthuses. “This is how I want to live my life. I like to touch the edge of excitement.”

Star Recruit

In 2012, the Mercedes AMG Petronas team elected to harness the Hamilton spirit, luring him away from McLaren where he had cut his teeth. It was during his tenure there that he won the 2008 World Championship.

Not so much a dream come true as a prophecy fulfilled: At the age of 10, Hamilton met McLaren boss Ron Dennis at an event and politely informed him, “One day I want to be racing your cars.” Three years later the precocious adolescent signed Dennis’s contract as a go-kart driver, and at 23 he became the youngest F1 world champion in history.

Despite his dazzling rise through the ranks of racing, Hamilton is humble – quick to express his gratitude, both in interviews and on his social media channels. His genuine candor is an endearing trait in a notoriously egocentric sport. “I’m very privileged,” he says sincerely, this time in reference to the Challenger 605 aircraft he rewarded himself with last year. The jet saves time between home (in Monaco) and work: “My office is in so many different places – it can be in Japan or Geneva for an appearance, going to the UK to develop the new car or systems, or when I’m flying to a race. My own plane is the best means of travel to my office: There’s no traffic.”

Craftsmanship High flyer: Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton customized his Challenger jet to match his candy apple red ’67 Mustang.

Early Impulse

Undoubtedly, it’s his father – Anthony Hamilton, who professionally managed his son for 18 years – who most often inspires the racing driver’s appreciation. “My dad has been my biggest driving force in getting to Formula One. Of course Ron Dennis was very important, but my dad kept me on course and instilled the values necessary to be world champion.” As a young boy, Hamilton felt his first adrenaline rush in the car with his father on the streets of his hometown in Stevenage. “My dad used to drive fast. I wouldn’t look at the road – I used to watch him, how he handled the road and the gear stick.” Poignantly, Hamilton’s choice of driver number for the 2014 season – 44 – was inspired by the number plate of his father’s car.

To vanquish Hamilton’s fears, his father threw him into the ring – literally. “He put me in the boxing ring when I was seven or eight with a rough kid from our area. He was two years older and he beat the living daylights out of me. I came out of the ring, nose bleeding, and I said to my dad, ‘I don’t want to go back in there.’ But he made me go back in. When I did, I hit him so many times. I didn’t give him a second to hit me back. Since then, it’s been a case of ‘never give up.’”

Bold determination aside, Hamilton confesses to a natural talent that he discovered at just five years of age. He was on a family holiday in Ibiza and got behind the wheel to race round a tiny go-kart track. “From the first lap, I picked up the knack of accelerating and braking,” he says, still clearly bemused. “It was like the technique was already instilled in me.” His father bought him a go-kart and soon he was racing competitively, winning

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repeatedly and attracting attention from the bosses at Formula One. “I used that technique for my whole go-karting career. It was like I was born to do it. I felt at home.”

Off the Grid

For a man who spends an average of 600 hours every year traveling by air, home comforts have to be established where they’re possible. Hamilton customizes his helmets and his cars, and his Challenger jet was no exception. “Every plane at the airport is boring: white with a stripe. I wanted to have the coolest one, so I used the same colors as my car, a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, in candy apple red and metallic black.” Naturally, his two bulldogs Roscoe and Coco always travel with him: “I put down a towel for the dogs to lie on. I take my shoes off and I’m asleep before takeoff. Roscoe and Coco sleep and snore the whole way, whether it’s a two- or ten-hour flight. It’s just the most relaxing way of getting from A to B.” With the introduction of stricter car regulations in Formula One for 2014, Hamilton has been busy dropping weight in pursuit of increased performance on the track. “I’ve had to lose five kilos, and it’s not been easy as I’m a fussy eater. I love chicken and rice, pancakes and Haribo sweets – but I’ve not had any sugar for three months. My trainer is on my case every day.” But Hamilton admits that he feels fitter than ever before, his hopes for 2014 emphatically clear: “Winning the World Championship is what I live and breathe for. I’m on the right team, with incredible people around me. I just pray that I have the wind behind my back to help carry me through.”

Social Call It’s little wonder that Formula One racing drivers attract such intense public devotion: Their lifestyles are a heady mix of passion, speed, risk and reward. Because of Hamilton’s open attitude toward his celebrity status, he’s actively developed a social media presence that’s attracted over two million followers to date. “No one can prepare you for the magnitude of fame. It’s been difficult,” he admits. “When fame came, it caught me completely off guard. I was so underprepared. For years, I tried to run away from it, to avoid cameras and keep my privacy. Then I realized it was impossible to do so. There are young kids who look up to me, like I looked up to other drivers in awe. So now I embrace it and I hope that I create a good image.” Hamilton takes us behind the scenes of some of his latest Instagram posts – sharing, in his own words, the moments that inspired them.

02

01

03 05

01 Mandela. For me, he was the most inspirational individ ual who’s ever lived. 02 This is my dad and me looking out over Monaco. It’s about the bond between father and son.

We’re saying: ‘Look where we’ve come from and where we are now.’ And it’s all because of him. 03 Roscoe is my best mate and most loyal friend. A Japanese fan made that little toy. 04 Sight­seeing by skate­b oard in Rio – enjoying the nightlife. 05 This is my favorite way to relax. When I’m playing, it’s just me and my music.

04 Experience

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Profile: Echo Entertainment

The Real Deal Whether in the bright lights of Sydney, the historic grounds of Brisbane, or along the calm beaches of the Gold Coast, Echo Entertainment takes its Australian casino-resorts beyond the games rooms to capture the essence of their destinations.

By Tatyana Leonov

A

DJ spins a mix of soulful tunes as Sydney’s well-heeled sip boutique brews, Australian wines and artisanal cocktails. A chic couple recline together on a striped lounger to take advantage of the sun’s waning rays.

A man in a sharp suit stares out toward Darling Harbour’s moored boats and iconic Harbour Bridge. As the light fades, more people appear and soon a thick velvet rope holds back a line of excited socialites.

The Sky Terrace is one of the Star casino’s newest additions, and like many of the on-site restaurants and top suites in the Star’s two luxury hotels, it offers one of the best views in Sydney. Since opening in November, the terrace has hosted some of the city’s most exclusive events, including the official after-party for the AACTA Awards, Australia’s answer to the Oscars – but visit on any balmy summer’s night and you’ll still find the best party in town.

Owned by Echo Entertainment, the Star and its sister properties, the historic Treasury Casino & Hotel Brisbane and the beachfront Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast, are some of the most sought-after destinations in the country. Echo’s approach has been to build its casino-resorts into richly textured entertainment districts that capture the essence of their locations. Taking in the Star’s cinematic view and happening vibe is just the start.

I’m visiting all three properties to discover how Echo has used this model to redefine entertainment travel in Australia.

Supreme Cuisine

The Star is still fresh from a complete transformation two years ago, and although the magnificent view was always there, part of the revamp involved further capitalizing on it with a plethora of outside areas woven into the new design. The contemporary refurbishment involved a major overhaul of just about everything, including the creation of a sophisticated new luxury retail area – where niche boutiques mingle with a parade of Gucci and Bottega Veneta – and construction of a 4,000-seat events center. It also marked the arrival of a new luxury boutique hotel, The Darling, Sydney’s first five-star build since the Olympics.

One of the visions of the rebranding was a culinary epicenter, which has won over locals and international clientele alike. With over 20 restaurants, bars and cafes on site, headed up by big gastronomy names such as David Chang, Teage Ezard, Stefano Manfredi, Luke Nguyen, Chase Kojima and Adriano Zumbo, the Star property puts some of Sydney’s best restaurants under one roof.

Chang’s Momofuku Seiōbo is perhaps the most talked-about restaurant in the city.

With seating for fewer than 40 people, reservations are taken 10 days in advance online.

Each day at 10:00 a.m., foodies log in to book a spot, and within minutes all the tables are reserved. Seiōbo’s daily tasting menu is inspired by local Australian produce, and

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Come nightfall, this laid-back island resort turns into a thriving entertainment district.

diners are advised to block out three to four hours for a consummate culinary experience in which every dish interlaces textures, flavors and aromas for the ultimate in gastronomic harmony. Picture smoked potato mash delicately piped into a wafer-thin cylindrical tube, teamed with a shaving of apple “snow” or Australian mud crab glazed in Marmite and served with a crunchy Yorkshire pudding. Chang’s Asian-inflected food is nothing short of amazing.

The property’s other restaurants are equally well versed in their various genres. Balla has earned devotees with Stefano Manfredi’s classic Osteria Milanese cuisine, while Chase Kojima’s Japanese-fusion Sokyo delights with unexpected dishes, such as maple miso and plum wine jelly.

There’s prime Australian beef at Black by Ezard, classic Chinese seafood at Eric and Linda Wong’s Century and formidable pho at Luke Nguyen’s Fat Noodle. In fact, Echo Entertainment takes food so seriously, it has created the Echo Culinary Institute where the world’s great chefs mentor the next generation of culinary stars.

Beachside Indulgence

Still full from the Star’s excesses, I arrive the next morning at the Gold Coast to find Jupiters located on its own tropical Broadbeach Island among acres of landscaped gardens. The rooms still hold the luster of the day they opened, with gold furnishings and tasteful black tiles making up the regal decor.

From my ocean terrace suite on the 18th level, the floor-to-ceiling windows and sprawling balcony capture the essence of the Gold Coast – sun, surf and sea. To my left the coastline shimmers in the afternoon light. To my right, the hinterland beckons with its luscious greenery.

Come nightfall, this laid-back island resort turns into a thriving

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entertainment district. Dinner at Jupiters’ signature restaurant, entwine, presents Aussie flavors such as Queensland spanner crab cakes and kangaroo cooked sous vide – its tender morsels fragrant and earthy. The final course, meanwhile, is a tableside show in which liquid nitrogen is used to rapidly freeze coconut mousse into a crisp, cold ball that’s then set aflame.

Much like the haute dessert, the decor is simple yet spectacular, with its rich palette of mahogany brown, chocolate and bronze. The effect is augmented by subtle injections of color from the artwork of Sean Scott, a surf photographer and abstract painter whose pieces take inspiration from the Gold Coast.

After dinner I stroll to the casino, taking in the vibrant atmosphere.

Intricate lanterns unfurl across soaring ceilings, and bright pops of color and eclectic furnishings combine to create a contemporary and dazzling design.

The belle of the ball is the refurbished theater. It underwent a massive upgrade in April 2012 and today houses VIP booths with private bars, additional screens for superior viewing and personal service. Seal, Macy Gray, Michael Bolton and Kelly Rowland have all performed to a full house since the revamp, and tonight’s performance, Zircus, looks like a sellout too. But I forego the circus-inspired spectacular and save my energy for the following night. Still to come on my itinerary is Echo Entertainment’s most historic project, in the bustling business district of Brisbane city.

Colonial Beauty

The Treasury Casino & Hotel sits confidently in its riverside position with its impressive facade and commanding balconies and columns. The property consists of two heritage-listed Edwardian-Baroque buildings considered to be among Brisbane’s most beautiful historic assets.

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Triple Down Under (Previous page) Scenes from the Star, including a view of Darling Harbour from the Sky Terrace and the dramatic “rope room” in Chase Kojima’s Sokyo restaurant; (opposite) Gold Coast glamour at Jupiters; (this page) the bright lights of Brisbane, nightlife at the Kitty and the regal facade of the Treasury Building.

The Treasury Building, which once housed the offices of Queensland’s premier, the Treasury department and other state government departments, was erected in three stages between 1886 and 1928. Today it is home to the casino and some of its hotel rooms. The Treasury Hotel occupies another historic masterpiece – the Lands Administration Building, completed in 1905.

The interiors of both buildings take you back a century, and my suite – vast as a colonial manor house – features high ceilings, ornate furnishings and an imperial bed. The room is so big that even the marble bathroom (one of two) has a staircase.

Although I could easily spend hours in my room, I decide to roam around the property, and uncover an array of enchanting corners and niches in the process. Some of its alcoves are used as mini gaming rooms, while other recesses have been made into dining and lounge areas.

The two grand buildings are separated by Queens Gardens where later that evening I find myself surrounded by other guests. We are entranced by the projected light show that engulfs the two buildings nightly with oranges, purples, pinks and other vibrant shades.

Afterwards, I cap my night off at the perpetually busy bar, the Kitty.

I’ve heard reports about an extraordinary cocktail only available here. The aptly named “Kitty on the Rock” comprises Richard Hennessy, Bollinger Grand Vintage, a sugar cube soaked with Angostura bitters and a 0.75-carat diamond. An order requires 48 hours lead time (so staff can arrange the diamond’s delivery and a personalized engraving on the Moët crystal Champagne flute). I’m told a security guard serves the drink – that it’s theater, meant to evoke the resort’s Treasury namesake. Echo has truly captured the spirit of its destinations down to the detail. I miss out… this time, which is as good an excuse as any to return .

Travel in Sky-high Style VVIP guests are flown from around the world to Echo Entertainment’s properties aboard one of their fleet of Global aircraft. “It’s about providing a service and product that is beyond first class in terms of a customer’s onboard experience,” says Stephen Spence, Executive General Manager, VIP Gaming. “Most large-scale casinos use their own aircraft. At Echo we’ve differentiated by acquiring the best of the best in the Bombardier range of aircraft. Our customers are flying in the most luxurious, spacious and technically advanced aircraft available.”

Echo Entertainment caters all of its flights from top restaurants, so whether you’re craving the freshest Chinese-inspired live seafood from the Century or Wagyu Striploin MBS9+ from Black by Ezard, Echo Entertainment caters to your needs at 50,000 feet.

For enquiries please call Echo Entertainment VIP Services at +61 2 9657 8888

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travel: southeast asia Craftsmanship

Inside Indochina A Challenger aircraft owner’s journey through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar reveals the ancient majesty that still exists in these gems of the Southeast Asian peninsula.

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travel: southeast asia Craftsmanship

Vietnam

“The beauty of this country is the sight of how people work, live and eat,” says Anne Henriksen, who journeyed to Southeast Asia from the UK with friends aboard a Challenger 300 aircraft. Their visits to Saigon focused on culinary experiences, including a chef-led streetfood tour and cookery course. Indeed, the country’s multicultural past is as layered as its unofficial national dish, the crispy bánh mì submarine, filled with fresh Vietnamese produce and Chinese-style roast pork belly, served on a French baguette.

The French influence – their occupation ended in the mid 1950s – is felt in the language (French was the most commonly taught second language until surpassed by English a decade ago) and in some of the architecture. Indian Hindu culture, meanwhile, has had a lasting influence in the south, where there’s a concentration of ancient temples, while in the north you can still see Chinese inflections.

The newest edifices to rise above the streets of Saigon attest more to a bright future than a rich past, however: Vietnam is undergoing a bona fide boom. The state encourages free-market measures like the private ownership of factories and foreign investment. Since 2000, the country’s economic growth rate has been among the highest in the world. For visitors this means a rapidly developing luxury travel network, “There are beautiful resorts with service to match,” says Henriksen.

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“

The speed of life The streets of Vietnam leave the greatest impression. It’s chaos, with people, cars and motorcyles everywhere – but organized chaos. If you have to cross traffic, even though it looks horrendous, they make room for you. On the edge of this are people conducting business.

This woman was one of many vendors who buys her goods at a wholesale market and then sells them on the street.

”

PhotoS: Anne henriksen (street vendor, kayan woman); brian snelson (Myanmar)

The Emerald Coast

M ya n m a r

The Ruby Chest

“

The Kayan women with their neck-stretching brass coils are quite extraordinary, but you no longer find young women doing it. It’s the same with the young men and the sarongs they wear around their waists.

Instead of having the original naked chest, they wear t-shirts and have gel in their hair. They want to be fashionable and up to date, and they’re following the world now. a changing tapestry

”

Myanmar is a country so rich in gems that it produces 90 percent of the world’s rubies, in addition to large exports of jade, sapphires and pearls. But with its relatively recent openness to the world around it, both in terms of trade and cultural exchange, it is also the hidden gem of the Asian continent.

From its Valley of Rubies – the mountainous area of Mogok, north of Mandalay – to its ancient cities Bagan and Mrauk-U, most of Myanmar remains unexplored by tourists due to a military dictatorship that lasted until 2011.

Since then, trade and travel have opened to the world, yet indigenous cultures have remained largely immune to outside influence. Regular sightings of tattooed faces, female neck elongation, throngs of holy men and otherworldly bustling markets offer a glimpse of history unlike anywhere else in the world.

Bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand, Myanmar nevertheless offers 1,200 miles of uninterrupted coastline along the idyllic Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. One advantage of the country’s slow economic growth has been the preservation of its environment and ecosystems.

“Many places remain without mobile communication,” says Henriksen, who traveled for three days aboard the Road to Mandalay river cruise ship to Bagan. “But without phone and email for a few days, it’s quite pleasant and slow. You can truly enjoy the sights along the shore, the temples and farms.”

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travel: southeast asia Craftsmanship

Laos

“In these auspicious places you see hundreds upon hundreds of Buddhas,” says Henriksen (pictured at right, front) of her visit to the Pak Ou shrine caves at the junction of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. The glittering Buddhist statues of the Luang Pranang province are just some of the lustrous attractions in Laos, where travel has been a growing industry over the last two decades.

The small, landlocked country traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang, which existed from the 14th to the 18th centuries. After a stint as a French protectorate from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, Laos became a socialist republic – though since 2009 it has been receiving financing from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, opening it up further to international trade. Its economy is accelerating rapidly with the demands for its substantial deposits of gold, bauxite, tin and copper, not to mention its plentiful water resources, which enable Laos to produce and export large quantities of hydroelectric energy to its neighbors Thailand, China and Vietnam.

Laos is popular for its relaxed and authentic way of life. It is known for its silks and artisanal products, its caves and waterfalls, as well as for the Plain of Jars, an archaeological site featuring thousands of vessels dating back to 500 BC.

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“

eau de vie We did a little circuit on an elephant in Luang Prabang before we boarded a cruise that took us down the Mekong River. Along the shores, the people farm herb and salad crops as well as cucumbers, beans and rice – using water buffalo to plow. We stopped in a village where we watched the women weave silk and cotton textiles and sampled rice whisky from an outdoor distillery.

”

PhotoS: Anne henriksen (elephant ride)

The Gold Mine

Cambodia

The Pearl of Asia

“

temple tourism We wanted to see countries that have only recently been opened to tourism, to explore them and to see the difference in cultures. Each one has such a complicated background. At Angkor Wat, for example, it’s very useful to have a guide. You get much more understanding of the temple complex and the country itself. People are open to talking about the past.

”

Nestled like a treasure deep in rural Cambodia, the peaceful and awe-inspiring temple complex of Angkor Wat reveals little of the history the country has overcome. But there’s good reason its sparkling capital, Phnom Penh, was nicknamed the Pearl of Asia.

If the beauty of a pearl is formed around a speck of detritus that infiltrates an oyster, then it’s an apt metaphor for the entire country, which survived the Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese occupation and the instability of warring prime ministers to finally become the haven of peace it is today. “Being closed off from the world has impacted these countries in different ways,” says Henriksen. “Cambodia and Laos are still very newly opened and still suffering a lot from their histories, but the people make an effort to make it welcoming for tourism.”

Despite that recent openness, Henriksen adds, ancient wonders like Angkor Wat still feel like a private discovery with the help of expert guides that include Khmer Empire scholars. The world’s largest religious monument, the site is an architectural representation of the Hindu deities’ spiritual dwelling place on Mount Meru. It contains dozens of different sections, whose varying styles offer a glimpse at the succession of rulers who left their mark over a staggering 6,000 years.

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travel: southeast asia

lo n d o n lyo n

marseille

Ac h g a b at

c a lc u t ta ha noi luan g prabang

r i ya d M y i n g ya n m a n da l ay

A journey to the east

Siem ReapA n g ko r Hô Chi Minh Maldive Islands

Up and away

Pre-flight preparations for the Challenger 300 aircraft were a cooperative effort between London Executive Aviation and the departure FBO, Bristol Flying Centre.

There were more than a dozen stops on the three-week voyage.

PhotoS: mark jayne (hangar and tarmac)

The Southeast Asian trip taken by Anne Henriksen and friends was six months in the making. The flight plan, including more than a dozen destinations, was orchestrated by Erik Henriksen and London Executive Aviation, whose team also coordinated the on-ground logistics, such as the acquisition of visas.

The Henriksens took delivery of the Challenger 300 aircraft in May 2013 and made the three-week trip that November. “This was the aircraft’s big test through difficult and complicated areas,” says Anne Henriksen. “It made travel very comfortable.”

ya n g o n

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Philanthropy

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An Angel Gets its Wings Lincoln Financial Group and Corporate Angel Network are giving flight to the fight against cancer.

By Michael Johnson | illustration marco cibola

The year is 1928, and the excesses of the Roaring Twenties will soon give way to the austerity of the Great Depression. In Philadelphia, the mood is a mixed bag of hope and despair. Arthur Hall, president of Lincoln National Corporation, prefers hope. To seek it out, he looks to air travel, an emerging industry capturing the country’s imagination. “In a few years you will all be riding in planes, if your time is valuable,” he predicts after being honored by Charles Lindbergh and Harry Guggenheim for promoting American aviation.

Little did Hall know that what he helped craft into the Fortune 500 American holding company it is today would earn a reputation for giving flights to people for whom time couldn’t be more valuable: cancer patients.

Hope Flies

The year is 2014. The sun is rising over the Delaware River, washing Philadelphia International Airport in orange and gold. There’s activity inside Lincoln Financial Group’s (LFG) corporate hangar. Captain James Griffeth and his crew are on site earlier than usual, preparing for a flight to North Carolina. As LFG’s director of aviation, Griffeth and his fleet of four Learjet 60 aircraft fly to every corner of the continent, with company executives and business partners in tow.

Today’s early start comes with the news that some special passengers are riding along – a family whose two-year-old daughter, Aubrey, is fighting retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. Her treatment hinges on regular trips to a particular ocular oncology center in Philadelphia, one of only two in the United States.

The Oklahoma-based family was struggling to find a way to add cross-country flights to their mounting medical bills. The trip wouldn’t have been possible without the seats that LFG donated to the family through Corporate Angel Network (CAN), a non-profit organization

dedicated to arranging free air travel for cancer patients by soliciting empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business.

It has been 30 years since LFG began a relationship with the charity – and so far they have completed 130 patient flights.

“We’ve always had a really strong sense of social responsibility here,” says Griffeth, who has overseen LFG’s patient flights since 1990. “Our fleet is always on the go and, when there are seats available, why wouldn’t we offer them to someone in need? It’s so easy to coordinate that it just makes sense.”

Griffeth has a team of schedulers that meets weekly to update the fleet’s itinerary. They then send two-week schedules to CAN to see if anything matches up; the patient needs to be flying to the same destination and there must be enough free seats on board for the additional passenger and parent or spouse flying with them.

A successful match is always good news, and although the team is instructed to treat patient flights as “business as usual,” each exchange is memorable for everyone involved. While Griffeth maintains his license and is type rated for Learjet 60 aircraft, the former

flying family Lincoln National Corporation president Arthur Hall and son William (pictured with his dog) predicted a bright future for aviation; (opposite) Lincoln Financial Group has helped arrange flights for more than 130 cancer patients since 1990.

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Philanthropy

“It’s easy to focus on the distress that you see, but the gratitude is always there.”

–Capt. James Griffeth

guest of honor Corporate Angel Network arranges over 250 flights each month for cancer patients in need.

commercial pilot leaves most of the flying to his team of eight pilots, each having helmed at least one patient flight during their tenure.

“Every encounter is unique,” he says. “We try to gauge the energy from the onset. Some patients are quite sick and we wouldn’t dream of overexerting them. Others are in better condition and feeling more sociable. We simply use our judgment.”

With almost 25 years of patient flights under his belt, the only thing Griffeth has come to be sure of is the gratitude that endures from takeoff to landing. Sometimes it’s simply a smile, sometimes it’s a personal letter of thanks or a follow-up visit. Whatever form it takes, to Griffeth and his team the effects are lasting. “It’s easy to lose yourself in the severity of the moment, to focus on the distress that you see in the patient and their family,” says Griffeth, “but the gratitude is always there and always feels very real. It comes from such a natural place. You can see it from the moment we greet them at the airport.”

Team Spirit

Corporate Angel Network’s Peter Fleiss knows the feeling of gratitude all too well. After spending 30 years working on and off for Safe Flight Instrument Corporation (CAN co-founder Leonard Greene’s original stomping ground), Fleiss joined CAN in 2000 as a consultant. Today he is its executive director, and he believes that overwhelming sense of appreciation helps foster long-standing and productive corporate relationships – and a healthy dose of perspective.

“When upper-level management happens to be on the patient flight,

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they often end up speaking with the patient and hearing their stories,” Fleiss says. “We take it for granted, but even just helping avoid putting their immune system at risk in a public airport… it’s such a simple gesture yet it can be a life-saver.”

These simple gestures were rewarded with heartfelt thanks in November 2013, when LFG was honored with the Corporate Angel Award for the company’s ongoing generosity and support. “Our relationship with them goes back to when CAN was just getting started,” says Fleiss. “Networking was far more grassroots back then; participants would simply spread the word among their peers. It’s easy to share and speak enthusiastically about something that means so much.”

Since its founding in 1981, CAN has seen support from the business aviation community increase tenfold. Celebrities have also gotten onboard, including NASA astronaut Gene Cernan, actor Harrison Ford and journalist Tom Brokaw, who helped raise awareness during his tenure at NBC. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is also an immense and indispensable advocate. CAN attends the convention every year to network and raise funds , and in 2009 NBAA president Ed Bolen appointed CAN as the official beneficiary of its annual convention gala, even renaming it the NBAA/CAN Soiree. Last year’s event raised almost half a million dollars.

Today, CAN successfully arranges over 250 patient flights each month thanks to the generosity of more than 500 major corporations across the country, including half the Fortune 500. That number will continue to grow as long as the work of our mission continues to spread, but Fleiss isn’t worried about that. “What truly strikes me is that even today, after over 30 years, participation runs entirely through flight departments and CEOs, not PR task forces. I think that speaks to how natural and easy it feels for corporations to particapate.”

Back in Philadelphia, Griffeth has received word that Aubrey is in remission. Her trips to Philadelphia ultimately turned the tide in her favor. “To see the joy in this child… I don’t have words to describe it.

It’s simply inspiring.” Ever the professional, Griffeth maintains perspective. He knows that not every patient flight ends this way, that each encounter has potential for hope and despair. Along with everyone at Lincoln Financial Group, Captain Griffeth prefers hope. Arthur Hall would be proud.

To Donate To learn how you can donate funds or volunteer seats on your aircraft to cancer patients in need, contact (914) 328-1313 or info@corpangelnetwork.org corpangelnetwork.org

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Possibilities of Connectivity. Made Easy.

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travel: Craftsmanship switzerland

The Best of Times

An exclusive look inside the houses of Cartier and Montblanc reveals two vastly different approaches to luxury watchmaking – wherein each is redefining the art.

By Carol Besler | photos by Joss M c Kinley

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Brand standards (Clockwise from left) Cartier’s famous blue watch hands; vintage advertisement featuring the brand’s emblematic panther; the Duchess of Windsor was a particular fan; (opposite) Montre Rotonde de Cartier Double Tourbillon Mystérieux.

I feel a little bit like Indiana Jones standing before the Ark of the Covenant as I climb out of the car in front of the spectacular glass-walled Cartier building in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It’s a long way from the pistes of St. Moritz and the glamour of Gstaad. For a watch lover, though, there is no place more sacred than this: the Jura, birthplace of Swiss watchmaking. In its sleepy valley towns, the world’s top luxury brands produce timepieces much the same way they have for the past century, working out of the part-atelier, part-factory “manufactures,” where human hands are the dominant technology.

T

wo elements define a luxury timepiece. The first is an upper echelon mechanical movement, made “inhouse” – entirely by one manufacture – with each component, even those we never see, finished by hand. The second (but not secondary) is an intensely artful outer finish that involves enameling, engraving, miniature painting, marquetry and gemsetting, known collectively as les métiers d’art.

I am here to watch these processes in action by visiting two vastly different manufactures. Both produce their own unique, sublime versions of haute horology, but at the extreme – and opposing – ends of the fine watchmaking spectrum.

The Montblanc-owned Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie in the village of Villeret, just east of La Chaux-de-Fonds, represents the essence of slow watchmaking. Highly skilled master craftsmen fashion fewer than 300 timepieces a year completely by hand, using traditional, customized tools based on those used a century ago. Cartier, on the other hand, makes about 800,000 watches

a year, all of which begin with a process that is fully automated, with CNC (computer numerical control) milling machines, but end with the same exacting hand-finished process as that practiced in the Minerva workshop.

Where one manages to mass-produce an item that is nevertheless the epitome of a luxury product, the other makes by hand everything that is now mostly automated elsewhere in the industry, yet does so with machine-like precision.

The Innovator

Cartier’s strength has always been its extraordinary culture of creativity, consistently surprising its admirers over the past century with one stunning jewelry and watch creation after another. The Duchess of Windsor was a particular fan (her vast collection of watches and jewelry went to auction in December), and Brazilian aviator and socialite Alberto Santos-Dumont was the recipient of one of the world’s first wristwatches, the Santos, made for him by Cartier. Along the way, the brand has launched a string of icons, including the Tank

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best face forward A craftsman shapes, polishes and places a lense for the Montre Rotonde de Cartier Mystérieuse (pictured, far right); one of the mysteries behind this complex timepiece is how its hands appear to float in a void.

and the Panther, a signature motif that appears in many jewelry and watch creations. It has also demonstrated a particular mastery of the métiers, deftly administering the mark of the artisan that has become the defining element of the brand.

Most importantly, Cartier has, over the last 13 years, abandoned its reliance on other movement makers in favor of manufacturing its own. In the process, it has become a serious innovator in the field of mechanical watchmaking, pouring millions into the development of new calibers that reinterpret the codes of traditional watchmaking.

Cartier shares the limelight with Rolex and Omega; together they are considered the world’s top three luxury watchmakers, at least in terms of production. When it comes to innovation and sheer creativity, however, I am not alone in my view that Cartier reigns supreme. For one thing, it strikes me as astounding how such a global entity, with a head office in Paris, facilities in Switzerland, a vast retail empire and legions of marketing executives, can still manage to be so consistently creative.

In the watchmaking division, the company does this by employing a secret weapon: Carole Forestier-Kasapi, an horological genius who hails from a family of watchmakers and learned the intricacies of the mechanical gear train at a young age. In 2005, she was appointed director of luxury watchmaking, in charge of movement development.

Under her direction, the brand has launched one showpiece after another, including five new calibers, or movements, this year alone.

Developing a caliber takes years and can cost millions, including design, industrialization, prototyping and quality control. ForestierKasapi’s department, which produces only prototypes, is larger than the entire manufacture of many other elite brands.

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Last year’s chef-d’œuvre was the Double Tourbillon Mystérieux, a suspended flying tourbillon that appears to be unconnected to any gear train or to the hands that tell time, thanks to a system of rotating sapphire crystal disks. It’s a miniaturized wristwatch version of the company’s famous early-19th-century Mystery Clocks, reinvented and engineered to incorporate one of watchmaking’s most prized complications, the tourbillon.

It is just one of the sensations that has made Forestier-Kasapi a star among watchmakers and watch geeks alike, yet despite her prima status, she is no prima donna. She is warm, humble and humorous, and graciously takes three hours of her day to show me around the manufacture.

“I love this picture. I love this picture!” she says as we pass a poster in one of the corridors, an enlarged photo from a 1970s advertising campaign of a full-grown panther standing on his hind legs with his paws on the ledge as he peers into the window of the Cartier boutique on Rue de la Paix in Paris.

Her respect for the maison is palpable. Beyond her mastery of micromechanics, her trick has been to combine creative license and a mandate to break new ground within the somewhat strict design codes of Cartier. “There is always a cabochon on the crown, there are always blue hands, always Roman numerals. There are a lot of codes, but always with creativity,” she explains. “For me it’s like if we are looking at art in Japan. They are really in deep with tradition, but there is always something new inside. It’s important to keep this spirit in the Maison Cartier. I can’t imagine Cartier without it.”

Like a proud mother, she wastes no time in showing me the

It’s astounding how a global entity with a vast retail empire and legions of marketing executives can be so consistently creative. masterpiece introduced at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, the invitation-only watch fair over which Cartier presides annually in Geneva.

Upon seeing the piece, I am immediately baffled. It is a perpetual calendar, an elite complication – normally comprised of a dizzying mesh of wheels, cams and levers – that indicates not only day, date and year but also leap years. It also distinguishes between months of 30 days and 31. Creating a new in-house perpetual calendar is impressive enough, but this one reinvents the genre. There is nary a lever. It is all wheels. “ Yes, all wheels,” she repeats, as I stare in wonder, “many wheels.”

In an ordinary perpetual calendar there would be about 30. This one has 67. The official name is the Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire, but Forestier-Kasapi keeps calling it “the Arena” because of its resemblance to a Roman amphitheater. Three stepped concentric tiers rise from a central axis where a flying tourbillon makes its one-minute rotation in a flourish of oscillations. Each tier is a bridge, a stationary part of the movement that holds the moving components in place, doubling here as indexes for day, date and month. Blue PVD windows

revolve around the tiered bridges to frame the appropriate indications.

A patented central wheel with retractable teeth, “the brain” as Forestier-Kasapi calls it, runs the whole operation. It can be set directly from the crown instead of a tiny pusher, usually on the case side, the same way we set the time. The all-gear construction allows the wearer to set the calendar without damaging the mechanism and ensures that the torque required from the mainspring is more constant, resulting in an 80-percent improvement in amplitude, which is directly related to accuracy. The Astrocalendaire will be produced in a limited series of 100 pieces, each priced at €150,000.

Forestier-Kasapi’s respect for watchmaking’s forebears matches her respect for the brand. “You have to first research what perpetual calendars are in the whole history of watchmaking to be able to create a new one,” she says. “I don’t know how to work in another way.

This is my function. I need this cultural base of particular mechanisms to be able to create something afterwards. Without it, it’s impossible for me.”

The Traditionalist

The hushed air of the Minerva Institute is a world away from the excitement of Cartier, with its hum of CNC machines, 1,000-strong workforce and stream of executives constantly checking in from Paris, but there is nevertheless something magical about Villeret.

My tour is conducted by Demetrio Cabiddu, Minerva’s technical director and longtime horological genius in residence – his signature is engraved on the caseback of every watch, along with the words “Fait main à Villeret.”

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Parts and labor (Top left) Montblanc dials await placement; (bottom left) the Montblanc Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph, a limited edition Monopusher based on a vintage Minerva movement; (right) a watchmaker’s desk stocked with tiny tools of the trade.

Indeed, every watch is rigorously handmade to an extent rarely seen among the elite brands. The result is a very limited production and a very high degree of refinement. The watches are not advertised, but sold mainly by word of mouth, and there is a waiting list.

Minerva specializes in chronographs, and it still produces modern versions of its original manual-wound calibers, the 1321 and the 1629, patented in the early 1900s. The company had been around long enough to be chosen to time the 1936 Olympics, something only a maker of highly reliable chronographs, or stopwatches, could do.

It is still creating the same precision calibers, in much the same way as it always has. Most of the Institute’s machinery, including the presses used to stamp base plates (a process now largely replaced in the industry by automated CNC machines), hails from the 1940s. Its tools constitute “modern” versions of the original equipment used by the area’s first watchmakers.

Every component is angled and beveled by hand or by using manually operated machines, which means it takes between five and ten hours to finish a single component. The brand even manufactures its own hairsprings, a painstaking process of stretching and shaping metal wires. Most watchmakers today acquire hairsprings from specialist makers, most of which are also in Switzerland.

“Our watches are dedicated to collectors, for whom it is important to offer something no one else can,” says Cabiddu. Hence, a bespoke division – unique in the watchmaking world – that creates fewer than 10 custom pieces a year, with the client’s choice of caliber, case material, dial, bezel and strap.

“We do it,” he says, “because we can.” Since the workshop is dedicated to the production of small quantities, and because all components are made by hand, the process lends itself to customization.

There are no high-volume machines to reprogram for one small change; the most important tools in this atelier are human hands.

In 2006, Minerva was acquired by luxury watch conglomerate Richemont, the same company that owns Cartier. Surprisingly, Richemont decided to dedicate Minerva’s movements exclusively to

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Montblanc, a brand primarily known for writing instruments, rather than to one of its heritage watchmaking brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre or Vacheron Constantin.

“Richemont did the right thing,” says Cabiddu. “People thought they would eat us up, turn Minerva into a production site for one of the other brands, or they would change Minerva because they have their own watchmaking traditions and heritage.” Instead, Montblanc, which only began to produce watches in 1997, was considered a clean slate and therefore the ideal recipient of Minerva’s masterly movements. Especially since Montblanc, too, specializes in chronographs, now also made in-house.

Since the merger, the star introduction has been the Tourbillon Bi-Cylindrique, fitted with not one but two hairsprings, one beating inside the other, to improve accuracy. It has a unique double-loop bridge that takes 50 hours to hand-finish.

In some cases, “unofficial” tools are used – that double-loop bridge, for example, receives its final polish with the soft but firm stem of the gentian flower, which grows in the nearby hills. Another finish is performed using an angled twig from a local boxwood tree.

The Minerva name goes on the movements only, and the watches, branded both Montblanc and Villeret, are priced between €35,000 and €200,000. No more than 300 watches a year emerge from this workshop, with most series made in extremely limited editions, rarely exceeding 20 of each. Cabiddu cites a recent study published by Italian watch magazine L’Orologio that ranked brands according to the highest average time spent making a single watch. The Montblanc-Villeret brand came out on top.

Taken together, it is incredible to see how both Montblanc and Cartier are pushing the industry forward. For now it appears that Richemont has every intention of maintaining the brands’ separate identities and unique methodologies. Among today’s sophisticated watch aficionados, there is a market for both the precision of automation and the quality of the human touch. A true collector covets one of each – and then some.

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TRAVEL: FIJI

FANTASY ISLAND

A trip to Fiji’s Laucala Island reveals a private island-turned-resort that still treats every guest like an owner.

By Neal McLennan

A

week ago, I had never even heard of Laucala Island, a 3,500-acre dot nuzzling up to Fiji’s far northeast maritime border. A day ago, I was still mispronouncing the name – the “c” is a kind of relaxed, Fijian soft c, producing the Lau-THAla sound. And now, as I approach the island by air, a modern airport and 4,000-foot landing strip materializing out of the remote, hewn rock, I have a momentary disconnect from reality. During my stay, I’ll come to think of this pleasantly disconcerting feeling as a “Laucala moment,” the house specialty in this secluded paradise.

Such moments are exactly why the island’s original owner, Malcolm Forbes, chose this place as his spiritual getaway. For Forbes, a man who loved nothing as much as a grand gesture, Laucala served as an ultraexclusive hideaway for his friends – like Elizabeth Taylor and various Rockefellers – to get away from it all and enjoy a Laucala Bomb cocktail or two. But thanks to the island’s new owner and a full-scale reimagining of its facilities, this tropical idyll is now open for business – albeit to a very select group of potential guests.

I step off the jet and right into Laucala moment number two: A fivepiece band performs on cue as my feet hit the tarmac. They play me a welcome song before draping a strand of kukui nuts around my neck and placing a freshly cut coconut in my hand.

The welcoming committee disperses into a convoy of shiny new Land Rovers, and we make our way to the main lodge. Laucala has 25 villas inspired by bures, traditional Fijian structures dotted along its northern flank. Some are on stilts over the water, Bora Bora-style, while some are full-blown multi-bedroom villas, but all are surrounded by gardens that ensure complete privacy, which turns out to be hugely important as there’s exactly one other four-member family visiting the island.

“Geez, I hope there won’t be any lineups,” I joke to the helpful staff member ushering me to my bure. “I don’t think so,” he deadpans. “We have five restaurants and 300 staff.”

Sporting Life

My room does have a grass roof, but it’s not exactly Gilligan’s Island.

Within its 3,200 square feet there are two flat screen TVs, three showers, indoor and outdoor bathtubs, indoor and outdoor dining rooms, its own massage pavilion and a private swimming pool.

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As I settle into my lounge chair to consider the island’s dizzying array of amenities, I can’t decide what to do next. There is a golf course, tennis courts tucked into the thick rainforest, and a 14-vessel armada that includes a 41-foot Riviera sport fishing boat. No appointment necessary: I simply need to walk up the pier and point to my pleasure and within moments I’ll be snorkeling, fishing or kiteboarding.

I ultimately settle on golf, because that’s how Laucala first came to my attention. I had heard whispers that David McLay Kidd, the elite golf course architect who designed Bandon Dunes, was building a private course for a reclusive businessman in the middle of the South Pacific. It sounded a bit like something undertaken by a James Bond villain, so I immediately set out to investigate.

The reality turns out to be less nefarious, but just as cinematic. Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian owner of Red Bull, is the resident Man with the Golden Gun. He purchased the island from the Forbes family and promptly set about transforming it from his modest escape to an exclusive getaway catering to each lucky visitor’s every possible whim – an endless march of Laucala moments.

As I approach the pro shop, an attendant ushers me inside, encouraging me to choose whichever clubs I want. He asks if I’d like a caddy and I demur, anxious to get out on the perfectly manicured first fairway. It’s only as I shank my tee shot into the bush that I realize there is no one else around to witness it: The course only sees about 10 rounds of golf… a month.

It makes Augusta look like a municipal track offering a two-for-one green fee promotion.

One of the peculiarities of Laucala is getting used to doing activities alone that one would typically associate with a crowd, if not a lineup, even at an exclusive resort. Having an entire championship golf course to oneself is a bit disconcerting. So is requesting a table for one in a fully staffed Michelin star-quality restaurant, or walking into a fully stocked dive boutique that seems to have sprung up to serve you and you alone. But you get used to it in a hurry. This intense level of privacy is one of the reasons people who spend their lives in the public eye – guests like Oprah Winfrey and John Travolta (who pilots his own jet onto the island) – are drawn here.

As I walk off the golf course – I could have broken the course record for all anyone knew – the fellow in the pro shop asks after my solitary round.

“It was odd… in a good way,” I say and then note aloud that I wish I had my putter from home, a belly putter that those challenged by the short game use to fight back their demons on the green. “Ah yes,” he says. “We keep meaning to get one of those.”

Person-to-Person

On my first night I join general manager David Stepetic and his wife for dinner at Plantation House, the island’s main restaurant, to discuss the particular staffing challenges of an ultra-high-end resort that’s in the middle of nowhere.

“We actually bought the neighboring island to create a home where the staff wouldn’t always feel like they were living right where they work,” he says. “We run about 30 ferry trips a day to keep the staff at full complement.”

So basically it’s a private island for the staff of a private island. But the concept of full complement takes on a unique turn here at Laucala. A 29-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio is unheard of in North America, but between me and the island’s other occupants, we are enjoying something close to 60-to-1.

Midway through our meal I ask about Seagrass, another of the island’s restaurants, dramatically cantilevered several stories over a blue lagoon

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a few miles from where we’re eating. “Oh, it’s open,” Stepetic assures me. I’m perplexed. I know there are only two groups here, and we are both mid-meal at Plantation House. And since the island doesn’t allow day-trippers, what would possibly be the point of keeping a restaurant open in the middle of nowhere, for precisely nobody?

“Well, one of you might change your mind,” says Stepetic. It’s a novel idea, of course, but there’s more to it than anticipating guests’ every move. Stepetic tells me that to keep a huge staff five-star-standard ready, you can’t ever let things slide, especially in a resort this remote.

We finish up a dinner that’s both local (triggerfish in beurre blanc with microgreens sourced from the island’s 240-acre farm) and classically European (paired with beautifully aged Riesling from the Rheingau) but as I drive my golf cart back to my bure, I can’t help shaking the image of Seagrass sitting open without any customers – nor the prospect of any customers. It seems downright rude not to zip up there for a nightcap, although I suppose some small part of me is driven by a desire to see if it really is “fully staffed.” And indeed it is, if you consider a maître d’, a bartender, several servers, a regular chef and a teppanyaki chef “fully staffed.” Laucala moment number 18.

I choose from among a dozen single malts, then stroll around the multi-decked engineering marvel. The open-air decks, where later in my stay I’ll enjoy lunch while watching reef sharks swimming below, are hammered into the side of a mountain high above an azure bay. The restaurant even has its own little jetty with stairs leading up, should you wish to arrive by boat. Halfway up the walkway I stop; a teppanyaki room has been suspended from the side of the cliff. “We hired the chef from the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok,” the bartender tells me. “You should really come back to try it before you leave.”

going solo (This page and opposite)

Visitors to Laucala are often the only guests in sight, whether they’re playing on the golf course, staying in the Peninsula villa or relaxing at the spa.

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Like a Local

In no time I’ve lost track of all the Laucala moments. There is an open-air massage backed by the hum of the trade winds, a stable with eight horses (Australian Thoroughbred–British Clydesdale crosses) on call, a 21,500-square-foot swimming pool featuring an elevated 25-metre glasswalled lap pool and a bottom that mind-bendingly graduates into sand as it slopes toward the beach.

The most treasured moments are the ones that couldn’t exist anywhere else in the world, at any cost. Laucala moment number 36 is an evening kava ceremony where that truly rare event happens: the seamless and casual integration of cultures as I listen to traditional Fijian stories and unself-consciously break into dance while sipping the calming tea. Number 24 is a Sunday morning church service (the island has its own small chapel) with a full choir rivaling that of any southern Baptist parish.

Moment number 42 is when I am mountain biking and an ultra-rare flame dove flies right in front of me – the birdwatching equivalent of winning the jackpot on your first lottery ticket.

But it’s number 9 that I recite when people ask me to describe Laucala.

It happens on my second day when I return to the golf course to practice putting. As I line up my ball, I see my friend from the pro shop striding toward me with a big smile on his face and something in his hand. On a remote Pacific island, 100 miles of open ocean from Fiji’s one major city and 5,000 miles from the nearest Nevada Bob’s pro shop, he passes me a belly putter he has miraculously sourced, suggesting, “Maybe this will do the trick.” He couldn’t be more right. I take a moment to look at the putter, the course, the ocean... It will very much do the trick.

GETTING THERE Laucala is approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Fijian city of Nadi, with transfer available by the island’s private jet. Private aircraft are permitted to land on Laucala, with international procedures such as customs and immigration clearance organized on island by request. laucala.com

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playtime A Plateau villa offers ocean views and a private pool; (above) meet at the jetty for a trip to the Great White Wall diving site; (opposite) the hidden Beach Bar serves cool drinks.

Laucala moments couldn’t exist anywhere else in the world, at any cost.

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WINGSPAN

First in Flight From speed blocks to photo ops, go behind the scenes with the Learjet 85 aircraft’s first flight team.

By Christopher Korchin | photos by Donny Colantonio and Brett Schauf

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of instrumentation parameters on the aircraft that can be monitored, and that information gets transmitted down to a telemetry room on the ground,” says Grabman, who was also on the first flight of the Challenger 300 jet. “We’ve got engineers for the hydraulics system, engineers monitoring the engines, flight-science engineers looking at handling characteristics, all verifying that everything is looking good.”

The interior of the test craft itself is far from the chic confines of the ultimate production model. “It’s very bare bones!” says Grabman. “We have so much test instrumentation and equipment, there’s really no room for the normal cabin amenities. No nice cabinetry, no nice carpeting, no nice seats. We have racks and equipment and instrumentation and wiring.”

A further test flight with an interior installed takes place later in the program, but the initial trip is all about, as program manager David Flett puts it, “aerodynamics, performance and aircraft systems such as hydraulics, avionics, landing gear – that’s the real focus.”

Step by Step

The weeks preceding a first flight involve rigorous ground trials. “Basically, we operate every system on the airplane extensively, doing taxi testing, braking, looking at thrust reversers, handling and directional control,” says Grabman.

teamwork (This page and opening spread) Learjet 85 first flight team members Ed Grabman, Jim Dwyer and Nick Weyers; (opposite) flight test engineer Nick Weyers settles into the test aircraft’s cabin as final preparations are made.

Photos: Donny Colantonio (this spread and previous)

T

he words “first flight” inevitably conjure thoughts of Kitty Hawk and the Wright brothers. While the legendary Flyer that Orville Wright piloted a distance of some 120 feet over a span of 12 seconds back in 1903 bears little resemblance to the powerful jets that take to the skies today, the brothers’ meticulous preparation still serves as inspiration for today’s test pilots and project personnel.

This year marks the first flight of the Learjet 85, the latest aircraft from a name synonymous with business aviation for over 50 years. And engineering flight test pilot Ed Grabman, based at Bombardier’s Learjet headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, is part of the team that’s been selected to take the Learjet 85 aircraft on its historic maiden voyage.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Grabman says of the honor. “This sort of thing doesn’t come around very often for pilots, and a first flight is an exceptional experience. Plus the Learjet 85 is a clean-sheet airplane, it’s not a derivative, so it’s quite an event.”

Though Learjet personnel – including current vice president and general manager Ralph Acs – are delighted to see their work become reality, they know the first flight is no mere joyride.

“For the flight itself we have literally thousands

A test flight with an interior installed takes place later – the initial trip is all about aerodynamics and performance.

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WINGSPAN

For half a century, Learjets have been the most stylish aircraft in the sky, and the all-new Learjet 85 maintains that tradition while also incorporating a fuel-efficient composite structure. This largest-ever Learjet aircraft features a stand-up cabin that can accommodate up to 10 passengers, as well as an outstanding range capability that can link Rio de Janeiro and Caracas.

This particular business jet also comes with an avionics system that even visionary founder Bill Lear would be astounded by.

In terms of cockpit innovation, first flight pilot Ed Grabman says the Bombardier Vision flight deck is a huge advantage, with large displays and new functions like Synthetic Vision,

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which provides a detailed rendering of topographical features. “The new level of awareness Synthetic Vision gives you is amazing. If you fly in inclement weather, say, in the clouds in the mountains and you can’t see outside, you can still see the terrain on your displays,” he explains.

Another technological leap is Graphical Flight Planning, a computer interface that eliminates the need to type in numbers and letters as on older systems. “It’s a much more intuitive way to change a flight plan or modify your routing,” he adds.

And, of course, the new flagship model still cuts a fine figure. Says Grabman: “It looks like a Learjet, and a Learjet always looks good.”

Photos: Donny Colantonio (cockpit); Brett Schauf (aircraft exterior)

Learjet 85: A Pilot’s View

inside view The Learjet 85 takes flight in Wichita, Kansas; (opposite) Ed Grabman and Jim Dwyer make adjustments in the cockpit.

Since 2006, Grabman has been involved in various iterations of what would eventually become the Learjet 85, and is part of a large team in Wichita working to bring the luxury aircraft all the way to Entry into Service.

Co-pilot on the first flight is longtime Learjet test pilot Jim Dwyer (who, coincidentally, was with Grabman for the first flight of the Challenger 300 jet over a decade ago). The third member of the three-person crew is flight test engineer Nick Weyers. They’re backed up by a contingent of engineers and support personnel on the ground, all carefully coordinated by flight test team manager Judy Seiler.

The day of the first flight follows a tight script. “It’s all about executing the test plan,” explains Grabman. “It’s very detailed, and lays out, step by step, exactly what we’re going to do and what order we’re going to do it in.”

The flight takes place in defined test areas, to the east or west of Wichita, in coordination with air traffic control. “We’ll take off and climb directly to an altitude of between 10,000 and 15,000 feet at about 180 knots, and once there we’ll start with the most critical systems, moving into different speed blocks and configurations, looking at handling, pitch control, roll control, extending the flaps and checking out the landing gear,” he says. The crew will also perform a simulated landing,

followed by a go-around, then return for the actual landing.

There’s one other role for the Learjet 85 aircraft to play – that of model plane. “While we’re out there, we’ll make time for a little photo op, get some video and still photos of the aircraft. And once we get that far, probably after a couple of hours, it’s going to be time to come back in.”

Of course, testing of the Learjet 85 hardly ends there.

Only on subsequent flights will the team start to work toward the aircraft’s ceiling of 49,000 feet (14,935 meters). The same incremental approach applies to speed. “We’ll be limited to 250 knots [or Mach 0.70],” says Grabman, noting that this is well below the projected cruising speed of Mach 0.82. “You want to let the engineers have a chance to analyze the data, verify everything is per the predictions and then step a little further outside the envelope. It’s mainly checking aircraft handling and some system functionality.”

The unflappable first pilot of the Learjet 85 adds that even after an inaugural day in the skies, one last part of the plan remains to be executed: a first flight party. “That’s tradition, you know,” says Grabman.

“There are hundreds of people working on the aircraft, some of them for years, so everybody on the team goes out and has a good time in the evening. It’s a big milestone for everybody.”

Experience

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FLEET

Learjet 70 stats

Passengers*: 6 Maximum range**: 2,060 NM (3,815 km) City pairs: Cairo-Frankfurt, Chicago-San Juan Highlights

› Features a new modern design interior, a next-generation cabin-management system and Bombardier Vision flight deck. › Delivers a quick climb to cruise altitude, exceptional hot and high capabilities and slow landing speeds for greater access to shorter runways. › New canted winglets improve aerodynamic efficiency.

Learjet 75 stats

Passengers*: 8 Maximum range**: 2,040 NM (3,778 km) City pairs: Toluca-Toronto, Santiago-São Paulo Highlights

› All-new cabin interior provides spacious luxury with superb functionality. › Seats eight passengers comfortably in double-club formation. › Powerful engines and advanced aerodynamics deliver superior cruise s peeds for faster and more efficient performance, even in hot and high conditions. › The Bombardier Vision flight deck combines the best in technological a dvancements with superior design aesthetics for an unprecedented level of control and comfort.

Learjet 85 stats

Passengers*: 8 Maximum range**: 3,000 NM (5,556 km) City pairs: Montreal-Los Angeles, London-Moscow Highlights

› Largest, fastest, longest-range Learjet aircraft ever. › Next-generation performance, comfort and technology. › Largest cabin in the midsize jet category. › Features the state-of-the-art Bombardier Vision flight deck. › Clean-sheet design featuring a composite structure.

* baseline configuration **under certain operating conditions

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C h a ll e n g e r 3 0 0 stats

Passengers*: 8 Maximum range**: 3,065 NM (5,676 km) City pairs: Paris-Riyadh, Bangkok-Dubai Highlights

› Most popular and best-selling jet in the super-midsize category. › The first business jet to feature Lufthansa Technik’s top-of-the-line nice™ cabin management system. › Enhanced Internet and voice connectivity options available worldwide. › Holds five world records sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association.

C h a ll e n g e r 3 5 0 stats

Passengers*: 8 Maximum range**: 3,200 NM (5,926 km) City pairs: Paris-Dubai, Mumbai-Hong Kong Highlights

› Provides exceptional short field performance capability. › The Challenger 350 sets a new benchmark for quantity and value of standard equipment provided, such as the Synthetic Vision System, dual IRS, MultiScan weather radar and an overwater flight kit. › Large window design, revolutionary ergonomic side-ledge concept and a newly angled touchscreen serve to elevate the cabin experience to an unprecedented level.

C h a ll e n g e r 6 0 5 stats

Passengers*: 10 Maximum range**: 4,000 NM (7,408 km) City pairs: Chicago-London, Singapore-Tokyo Highlights

› Latest version of the Challenger 600 series jet, the world’s bestselling large segment jet with more than 900 aircraft in service. › State-of-the-art Ethernet-based Airborne A/V system. › Ergonomic cockpit designed by pilots, for pilots. › Now available with the optional Bombardier Enhanced Vision System (BEVS) and optional Head-Up Display with lower minima operational credit. › Transport Canada- and EASA-certified for steep approach landing at London City Airport.

Experience

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FLEET

Challenger 850 stats

Passengers*: 14 Maximum range**: 2,811 NM (5,206 km) City pairs: Moscow-Marseille, Shanghai-Singapore Highlights

› Roomy galley independent of the cabin allows discreet gourmet meal preparation for as many as 14 passengers. › General Electric CF34-3B1 turbofan engines are proven fuel-efficient. › Time-tested airframe and design provide low operating costs and high value.

Global 5000 stats

Passengers*: 12 Maximum range**: 5,200 NM (9,630 km) City pairs: London-Seoul, Dubai-Cape Town Highlights

› Widest cabin cross section and longest seating area in its class. › Global aircraft wing features leading-edge slats and trailing-edge fowler flaps, allowing it to land at lower speeds, giving pilots more decision time. › High-thrust engines have an extended flat rating (ISA + 20°C), assuring smooth takeoff performance at high temperatures. › Features the Bombardier Vision flight deck, offering the industry’s most advanced avionics suite, paired with superior design aesthetics to create the ultimate flight control environment.

Global 6000 stats

Passengers*: 12 Maximum range**: 6,000 NM (11,112 km) City pairs: Paris-Tokyo, Beijing-Los Angeles Highlights

› The most accomplished and luxurious business jet created to accommodate the needs of the most discerning travelers. › Standard cabin configuration features three distinct living and working areas, including a separate aft sleeping compartment and lavatory for added comfort and privacy. Also available with a stand-up shower. › Features the Bombardier Vision flight deck, offering the industry’s most advanced avionics suite, paired with superior design aesthetics to create the ultimate flight control environment. * baseline configuration **under certain operating conditions

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Global 7000 stats

Passengers*: 17 Maximum range**: 7,300 NM (13,520 km) City pairs: Dubai-New York, London-Singapore Highlights

› Unparalleled four-zone cabin offers more living space and a greater selection of cabin configurations, optimizing productivity and comfort. › Next-generation GE Passport engines developed specifically for the new Global 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft offer exceptional range a nd efficiency with low fuel burn and low emissions. › All-new high-speed transonic wing optimizes aerodynamic efficiency. › Entry into service scheduled for 2016.

Global 8000 stats

Passengers*: 13 Maximum range**: 7,900 NM (14,631 km) City pairs: Hong Kong-New York, Sydney-Los Angeles Highlights

› Flies further than any purpose-built business jet on the market. › Offers a spacious and more comfortable living environment than a ny other three-zone cabin in business aviation. › Features the Bombardier Vision flight deck as standard equipment w ith the most up-to-date avionics suite available. › Entry into service scheduled for 2017.

Experience

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Income property with tax and business advantages as a Bahamian Corporation

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NEWS p e o p l e / e ve n ts / awa r ds

October 22, 2013

Songs + Celebration Grammy-winning “All I Wanna Do” singer Sheryl Crow performed at an invite-only Bombardier event held during the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Las Vegas. The private concert took place at House of Blues and celebrated 50 years of Learjet in the aviation business.

November 15, 2013

FAA Approval

The first Learjet 75 business aircraft has been granted certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The jet boasts a Bombardier Vision flight deck, performance and efficiency improvements, as well as a completely redesigned interior. Both the Learjet 75 and the Learjet 70 business aircraft have now entered service.

CLOCKWISE from top: Sheryl Crow

October 21, 2013

Flex Appeal Private aviation company Flexjet has converted 30 options for Learjet 85 aircraft into firm orders, bringing its total to 60 of the new Learjet 85 aircraft. The options were originally purchased on September 5, 2013, as part of a historic order of up to 245 Bombardier business jets.

performs at house of blues then poses with vp of u.s. sales brant dahlfors and bombardier aerospace president and coo guy hachey; former Bombardier business aircraft president steven ridolfi with Kenn Ricchi, Principal, Directional Aviation Capital; a learjet 75 aircraft

Experience

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March 1,  2014

Oscar Season Oprah Winfrey , Taylor Swift and Josh Groban were among the highprofile guests in attendance at a party presented by the Weinstein Company, Chopard and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Hosted at the Montage Beverly Hills hotel, the event celebrated Academy Award-nominated Weinstein films including Philomena, August: Osage County and Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.

December 11, 2013

Lang Lang Effect

World-famous pianist (and Bombardier Business Aircraft brand ambassador) Lang Lang performed for 130 select guests at an exclusive event hosted by Bombardier.

The intimate, hour-long concert took place in the Vista Ballroom & Terrace at the members-only American Club in Hong Kong.

December 31, 2013

Aircraft on Order

A firm order for 38 Bombardier business jets has been placed by an undisclosed buyer. Included in the purchase are 28 Global aircraft and 10 Challenger 605 aircraft. Based on list prices, the transaction totals approximately $2.2 billion. from top: josh groban and oprah winfrey at the weinstein company’s preoscar party; lang lang performs at the american club in hong kong; a challenger 605 aircraft

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Experience

Photos: Getty Images for Chopard (oscar season); Charley Gallay/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company (Bono); Araya Diaz/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company (naomi watts); london drugs ltd (london drugs delivery)

news

January 12, 2014

Golden Age Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts and U2 frontman Bono were just some of the celebrities in attendance at the 2014 Golden Globes’ hottest after-party, presented by Bombardier.

The event took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by the Weinstein Company and Netflix.

February 4 and March 25, 2014

Special Deliveries

clockwise from top: harvey weinstein, Ron Burkle, David Glasser, Jim Dolan and Frank Vento at bombardier’s golden globes after-party; liev Schreiber and naomi watts; the edge, bono and diddy

Five Learjet 75 aircraft were delivered to London Air Services (LAS), in Vancouver, Canada. The February delivery came with the LAS announcement of a $75,000 bursary to the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada’s largest aerospace technology school.

In March, Bombardier’s Global aircraft family celebrated the entry-into-service of its first Global 6000 business jet to be operated from Mexico. It was delivered to Aero Angeles S.A. de C.V. at Bombardier Aerospace’s facility in Montreal.

above: Las Operations Manager Dylan Thomas, LAS president and ceo Wynne Powell, london drugs chairman Brandt Louie, bombardier business aircraft sales director Antonio Regillo and bcit vP of student services Justin Kohlman; Left: Captain Antonio Ortiz Palero, Aero Angeles S.A. de C.V. and Saul Arceo, Sales Director, Mexico, Bombardier Business Aircraft

Experience

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news

Premiere Party Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts were among the guests at the Los Angeles premiere of August: Osage County. Bombardier sponsored the event, hosted by the Weinstein Company and Yucaipa Films. The screening took place at Regal Cinemas and afterwards, VIP guests continued to celebrate at Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 restaurant and lounge.

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Photo: Mario anzuoni/reuters

December 16, 2013

rolls-royce.com

CorporateCare®a global liquid asset

THE STRENGTH TO LEAD BOMBARDIER HAS A HISTORY OF INSPIRING CHANGE WITH CONFIDENCE, OF FORGING AHEAD THROUGH UNCHARTED GROUND, OF PROGRESS, OF LEADERSHIP, AND OF INNOVATION. ACROSS THE FULL RANGE, OUR AIRCRAFT DON’T JUST BREAK THE MOLD, THEY RECAST IT.

Bombardier, Learjet, Challenger and Global are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2014 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aircraft enrolled on CorporateCare have higher asset values and liquidity as well as access to a truly global service network. So while you are enjoying engine reliability, supported by the resources and engineering expertise of the OEM, you’ll know you are helping to maximize your asset’s value and liquidity for the future. For more on CorporateCare, contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email corporate.care@rolls-royce.com.

businessaircraft.bombardier.com Trusted to deliver excellence.

BomBardier BomBardier Business Business aircraft aircraft magazine magazine

Bombardier Business aircraft magazine

issue 22 2014

keeping up with f1 superstar lewis hamilton

OBC

Black Toro Patented Perpetual Calendar. Self-winding movement.

Water-resistant to 100 m. Also available on leather strap.

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F O R A C ATA L O G , C A L L 5 61 - 9 8 8 - 8 6 0 0 O R E M A I L : U S A 9 8 @ U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M

issue issue 22 2014 2014

18 ct rose gold case with ceramic bezel.

meet the learjet 75 aircraft + corporate angels take flight inside indochina + swiss watchmaking secrets + private fiji