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TAE Acquires Arizona’s Southwest Airmotive
TAE Aerospace has completed the purchase of
Eloy, Arizona-based Southwest Airmotive Corporation (SWA) in a move that will expand its
PT6 MRO capability in the United States.
While the ownership of SWA will change with the purchase, SWA’s management, staff, tooling, test equipment, and inventory will remain to deliver the same high-quality PT6 MRO services it has always provided. SWA will also retain its company name and branding.
By joining the TAE Aerospace group, SWA becomes part of a global company now offering both PT6 and TPE331 engine MRO solutions to customers from multiple locations in the world.
SWA gains access to TAE Aerospace’s in-house PT6 LRU MRO capabilities, including both Honeywell and Woodward FCU and Prop Governor component approvals, and access to TAE’s global inventory of in-stock parts as well as its exchange engine and LRU pool (available to all its customers to help improve turn times).
According to Andrew Sanderson, CEO, TAE Aerospace, the SWA team is committed to continue providing the same great level of service to customers that it has delivered throughout its long and proud history.
“At TAE Aerospace we’re an aerospace maintenance, engineering and logistics company with offices and customers around the world,” he said. “Our main focus is the MRO of turbine engines and controls for commercial, BGA and defense customers, which means the SWA operation is a great fit for the business in the US.
“We now have six locations throughout the US, as well as four maintenance facilities in Australia and offices in Europe and Asia. Our rapid growth around the world in the past 10 years is a testament to the strong reputation we have built for providing outstanding services and value in every market in which we operate. SWA is now part of that global growth story, and we are delighted to have their team joining ours,” Sanderson concluded.
More information from www.taeaerospace.com
C&L Completes State-of-the-Art Interior Refurb Facility
C&L Aviation Group has completed the construction of a state-of-the-art 12,000sq.ft. Aircraft Refurbishment Facility at its Bangor, Maine campus, next to the company’s aircraft paint hangar.
The facility will be utilized to address the increased volume in both regional and corporate aircraft interior refurbishment projects the company has been receiving for the past several years.
“We’ve made substantial investments in space, equipment, and manpower for the aircraft operators we serve,” said Chris Kilgour, CEO of C&L Aviation Group.
“The new facility, along with increased in-house capabilities, provide us with robust options for customers looking for anything from a basic replacement of soft goods to complete interior upgrades and modifications.”
The new facility is equipped with a Gerber leather cutting machine, laser engraving machine, paint booth, seatbelt manufacturing center, separate assembly and disassembly areas, and more.
The new facility is one of five building projects C&L has completed since the start of the Covid pandemic. In 2020 the company purchased a local events center near Bangor airport and converted it into a component shop where it works on smaller aircraft components.
The company also constructed a new 27,000sq.ft. aircraft parts warehouse, a 5,000sq.ft. extension to one of its hangars for storage, and a complete renovation of its corporate aircraft maintenance hangar, including new floors, walls, customer offices, and a state-of-the-art interior showcase and design center.
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Cabin Electronics: New Jet Functionality for Older Planes
Is the cabin electronics functionality dated in your business jet? What’s available to breathe new jet functionality into your cabin? Brian Wilson reviews what’s popular now, offering tips on how to enjoy a successful upgrade path…
Finding the pre-owned airplane that matches your mission need can be a daunting task. Even more challenging is redesigning the cabin to give it a fresh new look, feel and functionality – but that’s often what is required to bring optimal productivity from your newly acquired plane.
Like buying a pre-owned home, once the aesthetics have been addressed, the fun begins. The Business Aviation market offers an abundance of upgrade options relating to the cabin’s electronics. Whether you’ve recently purchased a pre-owned jet or have been flying your current airplane for several years, it’s worth reviewing the cabin, making a note of the areas where functionality could be improved.
As you open your eyes to the possibilities of bringing new jet functionality to your older plane, you’ll need to consult with a seasoned advisor. They will help narrow down the focus, homing in on the products that enable the functionality you need, and assisting with your upgrade project.
First, there is a variety of items that you might be considering upgrading or installing to help bring new jet functionality to your older airplane. These include: ● Moving Maps ● Connectivity (Wi-Fi) ● Cabin Management Systems ● LED lighting ● High-Definition 4K Monitors ● Chargers, USB Ports, and HDMI
Ports ● Cell phone/iPad Mounts.
What are the Popular Cabin Electronics Upgrades?
Before moving into the practicalities of bringing new jet functionality to your older jet, let’s look at some of the popular upgrades in each of these areas… Moving Maps: These have been synonymous with Collins Aerospace for many years, and today Collins still offers the Airshow 500, 4000 and the new ASXi HD interactive map.
Loaded with geographical facts, passengers can learn about the world as they fly with ASXi HD, and by downloading the mobile App passengers can view the 3D map on their own Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs).
Connectivity: While this area could form an article of its own, we’ll focus on some high-level points. Determining where you fly will help identify the correct system for modernizing your cabin’s connectivity/Wi-Fi.
Owners and operators of Super Midsize and Large Cabin jets may consider Honeywell’s Jet ConneX system, Viasat or Collins Luxstream, which are either Ku- or Ka-band satellite connectivity solutions, bringing connectivity to the
cabin in most parts of the world.
For aircraft flying primarily in the United States, Gogo’s AVANCE Air-toGround connectivity platform not only provides internet access, but movies, TV shows and moving map functions, helping cover the in-flight entertainment, too.
Cabin Management Systems (CMS): There are many CMS’ installed in older jets that are twelve-plus years old, and face obsolescence. Upgrades can be very expensive – but the CMS plays an integral part in the modernization of a cabin space.
So what’s popular, currently? Collins Aerospace’s Venue is installed in over 1,300 aircraft. A fiber optic-based system which can be controlled by either intuitive touchscreens or by a passenger’s PED, the system also has fully integrated moving map and Wi-Fi capabilities.
Alternatively, ALTO Aviation provides a customized system that will meet the needs of any audiophile. Based on the ALTO Cadence system, a new feature called ALTO MySound was created which enables passengers to direct acoustic stereo or surround sound directly to their seat, at the push of a button.
LED Lighting: Aircraft Lighting International (ALI) offers a vast array of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting options, providing greater intensity and longer life than conventional incandescent lights.
The LED colour and intensity can be designed to cover any mood, from bright and fresh (promoting productivity), to muted (promoting rest and relaxation). ASI also provides a direct replacement for many legacy products, thus reducing downtime and costs.
And don’t overlook Elliott Technologies’ Prizm lighting system, featuring full-color spectrum mood lighting controlled through a mobile App and existing cabin lighting controls. Available for upwash, downwash, lower accent, galley, lavatory and cupholders, the Prizm lighting system is expandable to meet the needs of most business jets and turboprops.
High-Definition Monitors: Rosen Aviation leads the way for aircraft monitors, and many In-Flight Entertainment companies like Collins Aerospace and Honeywell use Rosen’s monitors as part of their IFE solutions.
Monitors range from 22” to 55” and include Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) and 4K options. Nine- and 12-inch plug-in HD monitors are also available that can be located at each seat, allowing a personal control and optimum viewing.
In late 2021, Rosen announced a full line of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) monitors, which provide a
ELLIOTT TECHNOLOGIES PRIZM LED LIGHTING UPGRADE SOLUTION
significantly wider, better viewing angle over standard UHD LED or LCD monitors.
Chargers/USB & HDMI Ports: Peripheral devices (although seen by many as somewhat ‘humdrum’), are essential to any cabin upgrade, given the proliferation of carry-on devices among today’s Business Aviation passengers.
If you’ve ever travelled with plans to finish some work, or update your social media, and the charging units are nonexistent, or not operating while your PED’s battery drains away, you’ll have suddenly understood their necessity.
Within this category, we also include Bluetooth for music and headphones, and auxiliary panels. Companies such as Rosen Aviation and Flight Display Systems (FDS) offer many solutions that will meet your needs.
Cell phone/iPad Mounts: Providing mounting brackets for Personal Electronic Devices is a great idea. Cell phones, iPads and tablets must be held or propped up to make the viewing of a movie or TV show adequate in-flight.
It’s worth noting that mounting brackets can also have a charging port, and even an HDMI interface, allowing content stored on the device to be displayed on a monitor.
Five Steps to New Jet Functionality in Your Plane
Having discussed some (but by no means all) of the exciting upgrade options available to modernize your cabin, there are five key steps towards gaining new jet functionality in your older jet:
1) Envision how you want your cabin to look and feel. 2) With the help of an expert, select the components and features needed to create this passenger experience. 3) Work with an MRO shop with a seasoned CMS engineer on staff and provide them will ALL your current wiring diagrams and CMS software levels. 4) Have the engineer whiteboard the existing system along with the new configuration. 5) Be prepared that the result to achieve your goal could be a whole new installation. Be Prepared to Overcome Obstacles
Though there’s a danger our five steps to new jet functionality in older jets could ‘over-simplify’ things, the importance of the engagement of your trusted MRO shop, well ahead of any desired upgrade, will prove essential when you consider some of the obstacles and challenges that sit in the path of a possible upgrade. These include:
Compatibility: A focal point of your upgrade, you must establish whether an upgrade option is compatible with your aircraft, as you attempt to integrate the newer technology into your older model. That’s especially the case for the CMS system.
ALTO AVIATION MYSOUND CONTROLLED VIA AN APP
For example, obsolescence becomes a problem for many older CMS systems, and analog switch panels will require relabelling, while the digital types require software revisions. Existing audio/video controllers might already be fully utilized, with no open ports for new sources. Or they may not offer modern capabilities such as HDMI. Existing monitors are unlikely to be ‘smart’ devices, causing interface problems – or at the very least reducing functionality.
Long Lead Times: CMS components and software revisions can have long lead-times, so stay laser-focused to finalize what you need, and get everything ordered in plenty of time. There should be a checklist showing the quantity of components and software levels required.
Interior Modifications: Another area of concern will be to address any interior modifications needed to support the new components.
Bulkheads and panels might have to be redesigned and fabricated to fit new monitors. Drink rails and side panels may need alteration to fit the new switching units. Window lines or the headliner could require modification to fit new speakers. Audio technology has come a long way in the last 12-15 years, and newer systems use many smaller directional speakers to deliver the best audio fidelity, again necessitating alterations to the panels/bulkheads.
“Advancements in technology for today’s business aircraft allow even the most extreme expectations to be met, assuming the budget is available to match.”
In Summary…
There is nothing more exciting than purchasing a new aircraft and redesigning the cabin, or bringing new life to the stale cabin of an existing aircraft, enhancing your in-flight experience.
Advancements in technology for today’s business aircraft allow even the most extreme expectations to be met, assuming the budget is available to match. But regardless of the extent of the vision and upgrade project, it remains vital to take your time to properly plan the upgrade, establishing a timeline.
If you solicit the expertise of a trusted MRO shop and advisor, you’ll soon be enjoying new jet capability in your older jet’s cabin. ■
COLLINS VENUE CMS CONTROL
BRIAN WILSON is the Director, Key Accounts at Gogo Business Aviation, an industryleading provider of in-flight connectivity and entertainment solutions. Prior to Gogo, he sat on numerous Dealer Advisory Boards along with being a member of the AEA Board of Directors.
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Measuring ‘Cost’ versus ‘Value’ of a Flight Panel Retrofit
What defines value in a private jet flight panel retrofit? Is it all about cost, or are there other factors at play? Ken Elliott explores how you can measure value for your own upgrade...
Value is a way of expressing the worth of something, and although traditionally associated with monetary affairs, can be expressed in many other ways. This includes when value is applied to avionics upgrades in the cockpit of your business aircraft.
The measure of value for the same item or experience can be low for one person and yet high for another, because value is subjective, and associated with context.
We all assume that we can make the best value decisions, and sometimes, to avoid losing face, we will argue against our better judgment.
To gravitate toward effective value decisions, we should do our due diligence looking at value across the full spectrum of any project we wish to start, including cockpit retrofits. This implies measuring value in several different areas. For aircraft, and options for cockpit upgrades, there are the following value associations to consider:
● Safety ● Flight Operation ● Cockpit Ergonomics ● Budget ● Return on Investment (ROI) ● Bundling ● Resale ● Extended life ● Obsolescence & Futureproofing ● Level of Integration. ergonomics replaces comfort and flight operations replace office/home experience. Safety, on the other hand, will always rate as the priority for any part of the aircraft.
When you first consider an upgrade, cost naturally comes to mind. While many flight departments will place cost on one side of a scale and everything else on the other, it is never that simple. As many a sales manager would say “it depends”.
For this article, we’re going to avoid the murky maze of budget numbers themselves, instead focusing on the factors that determine them.
Cost is a relative business, and facilities that upgrade aircraft have their own way of determining them, based on margin expectations, available
options, labor hours and bundling projects. Bundling can tip the value scale very quickly if the impact of bundling a cockpit upgrade with an engine or airframe event leads to an overall reduction in cost.
Different Upgrade Methods
Cockpit changes are designed, integrated, and certified in different ways which can dramatically affect the ‘cost versus value’ measurement. For example, if the upgrade is provided from the aircraft or avionics Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), as a Service Bulletin (or Aircraft Service Change) it’s likely – but not guaranteed – that it will be ‘as represented’, and the quoted price will be the billed amount.
It is important to check that the ‘package’ (material and paperwork) includes your aircraft serial number, and that a previous owner (or you) has not modified your aircraft via a third-party since delivery.
If the upgrade is based on a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), it’s possible there will be several caveats and variables to consider – any one of which could lead to a costly STC Amendment, over and above the cost to use the existing STC.
If the STC is based on an Approved Model List (AML), it is designed and approved to cover different models of aircraft and should include your aircraft make/model.
For some models of aircraft there may be several STCs available for a similar avionics upgrade. Each will have a different applicant owner, and some may be available for a fee, for use by companies who are not the applicant.
As you shop around for the best value STC, make sure the discussion includes how well each STC version fits your serial number, based on current equipage and the hardware/software status of that equipage. You may find a lower-cost STC, but Amendments could take the delivery price way beyond expectation.
Some Core Upgrade Value Measures
Some of the upgrade values themselves, include:
● Safer operations ● The ability to undertake new flight procedures ● A positive return on investment ● An increase in the Aircraft
Bluebook/VREF value ● Improved aircraft and equipment reliability ● Reduction in operating costs ● Reduced downtime for continued airworthiness ● Improved odds of an aircraft resale ● How the upgrade fits with the market mood.
Timing is everything and advice given this month, or this year, may be out of sync with the reality later. For example, understanding the market mood for your aircraft sector is relevant to decision making. In 2022, the demand for pre-flown aircraft is high and the availability low. However, at any point in time, there may be more light jets and turboprops available than large cabin aircraft. Proportionately, spending a significant slice of your budget on an upgrade could have a very different ROI and resale value for different aircraft sectors, based on the demand in the marketplace.
Spending some time studying aircraft OEM deliveries and available pre-flown aircraft of similar size and performance to your own, along with price escalation or decline, could reveal useful data to assist in your overall decision process.
Some upgrade values are obvious and others not so. Common sales themes such as increased safety, ability
to fly new procedures and improved reliability are assumed in an upgrade. Others, centered on aircraft value, operating costs and reduction in downtime, are subjective.
A quick guide to filter through those subtle upgrade values is to obtain data on similar aircraft valuations, equipage and pricing, through AMSTAT, VREF or JETNET. These are subscription aircraft intelligence services and are used frequently by brokers. Engaging your preferred or a new broker to tease out the subtle information may be very helpful, even if you are not currently trading your aircraft.
Brokers are very smart on the market mood and their consultant aircraft specialists, with expertise on the technical aspects of each aircraft model, can steer you in a sensible direction. By reviewing comparison statistics, it is possible to figure out how a retrofit impacts aircraft valuation, resale potential and even savings in continued airworthiness (maintenance) & downtime.
If the price of your aircraft model is declining in the marketplace, and an upgrade of your cockpit is going to increase the percentage against the total aircraft resale value, then your decision should factor in how you are likely to recover your investment (ROI).
Sometimes an upgrade is a necessity, tipping the value scale with ‘required’ as a non-variable. When this occurs, there will be a tendency to rush toward the most economical upgrade option, perhaps motivated by a limited budget, a time crunch or simply cash flow at the corporate level. While understandable, rushing is the worst way to proceed. This is a time to reflect on the right decision by seeking advice, shop around for choices and always keeping the aircraft resale potential in the back of your mind, even if you intend to own the aircraft forever.
Examples of meeting necessity are obsolescence of existing avionics, mandates such as ADS-B Out, significant recurring repair costs and changes to where and how you operate the aircraft.
While being forced to upgrade a singular product may be straightforward, upgrading a cockpit is not. Here is what you should avoid: ▪ Turning your aircraft into a ‘project’ because you were in a hurry and due diligence was not completed. ▪ Third party integration products, providing analog to digital
conversion in older aircraft platforms, that could be seen as a risk by a future buyer and particularly when it comes to international support. Examples of these can be found when upgrading to a glass cockpit but retaining analog controls or legacy remote ‘radios’. ▪ A cluttered cockpit appearance with kludged components. The current market mood, due to supply limitations, is “if I cannot get a new or a recent pre-flown aircraft, I at least want the aircraft I buy to look and feel like it is new or recent”. While mostly an exterior and cabin experience, the desire and expectation extend to an uncluttered cockpit.
These are value related considerations to weigh against the downward pressure of saving on costs. The result of hurried decisions may be favorable in the short term and disastrous later, when least expected.
Equipment Value Considerations
Anything that can bring benefits to both cabin and cockpit will enhance overall value, a great example being
inflight internet. While bringing huge benefits into the cabin, connectivity is also useful to flight crew. Updates such as databases, charts, maps and information transfer, such as aircraft system status and enroute flight planning are just some examples of the benefits of cockpit internet.
Sometimes small updates can provide benefits that exceed their cost in value. Installing AC outlets, USB provisions and easy access maintenance port give immediate facilitation to pilots and save on downtime for technicians to connect laptops for system updating and troubleshooting.
Having weather tools from multiple sources is another equipage that has guaranteed benefits of value. Adding SiriusXM weather can be low cost if there is easy access for the antenna installation and while more expensive, upgrading the radar to one with predictive windshear, turbulence and lightning, keeps the pilot in control along risky flightpaths.
Another equipment consideration is to watch the trending of price. A classic example would be Enhanced Vision and especially Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS or in Europe, EVS). At one time these were prohibitive to consider or had no factory bulletin or STC as a path to install.
Manufacturers of both aircraft and avionics are rapidly introducing solutions to bring the aircraft closer to the final landing or take-off decision in low-visibility conditions. Recent changes to FAA Airworthiness Circulars (AC) are enabling approaches to touchdown and rollout in low Runway Visual Range (RVR) conditions.
For many, the value of EFVS is hard to quantify, even as options become available and prices head down. However, there is a lot to be said for ‘taking off knowing you can land at the other end, irrespective of visibility’. There is also the bonus of seeing your aircraft next to a similar brand but having that EVS camera bump on the nose, and the little glass pull down screen in front of the crew. The ‘one-up’ factor, provided by these very visible upgrades of EVS and Head Up Display (HUD), can be a decider during a resale event.
Nothing, however, beats the impact of 3-5 large clean screens across the instrument panel. When showing aircraft, it is very common for non-pilot buyers to be drawn by a slick paint scheme, then dwell in the awesome cabin, followed by a squeeze between the crew seats to have a quick scan at the instrument panel. When the panel is modernized and in keeping with a bespoke interior, the result of the quick scan is satisfying. From that point on the future owner leaves the cockpit details to the experts who wrangle over the contract, but, by and large, the aircraft may be considered sold!
Outfit your aircraft in accordance with your need. If you are planning on short routes or if that is the performance limitation of your model, then install equipment to meet that need. This mostly applies to the cabin and its capability but for the cockpit it may not be necessary to plan on significant airborne connectivity, when you can achieve your communication needs at an FBO between short flight legs.
Integrated flight panels increase pilot ‘out the window’ time, but for short flights the benefit vs cost value may not be there to completely change the panel. Measure this against the risks mentioned in this article, where partial panel upgrades can have support and reliability issues.
Pilot owners are more likely to understand the relationship between flights and equipage needs, where the capabilities and limitations are more intuitive to them. For others, any avionics sales specialist or broker subject matter expert (SME) can advise on this area. Pilot and non-pilot owners may have different value judgements and perspectives, which is partially why you will find all varieties of cockpits across the same model of aircraft.
Getting the maximum use out of an upgrade is another consideration. In an
“Nothing, however, beats the impact of 3-5 large clean screens across the instrument panel.”
environment where Lateral Path Vertical (LPV) approaches, in the US, now exceed traditional ILS, it begins to make sense to upgrade the aircraft Flight Management System and (possibly Flight Guidance for coupling), to facilitate the many LP/LPV approaches now available.
It is wise to add graphic weather, electronic charts and enhanced maps, when upgrading a flight panel. The options involve a small amount of graft to install and yet a great amount of electronic capability enabled by the manufacturer. It also leads to an uncluttered cockpit, saving space and weight.
If an option means more removal & reinstallation for access, more wiring and significant certification, think twice. If the option is mostly software or a fully compatible ‘slide-in’ component, then the value proposition is good.
Summary
In an environment where supply is below demand, the dynamics favor the seller. The squeeze is on the few available aircraft to be ready to fly, immediately upon closing the deal. Any delays from the buyer could cause the seller to unplug the aircraft and move it to one of many alternate buyers. This situation has an enormous impact on cockpit upgrades, their cost, value and — most importantly — when they should be undertaken. Is it a buyer’s prerogative to upgrade, or should the seller plan to offer an aircraft that is as close to new as possible?
There are arguments either way. For sure, if the aircraft is up to date and ready to fly, for a discerning buyer, the seller may maximize on price, reduce stress for all and expedite the deal. This would seem to be the wisest route to take, if not for the possibility the market mood may shift quickly and there could be an over supply of pre-flown aircraft.
The price delta between new delivery and pre-flown aircraft is still sufficiently wide enough to allow owners of existing models to repaint exteriors, replace interiors and upgrade cockpits, and still provide significant savings to buyers. The trick may be in making the updates look, feel and function as close to a new aircraft as possible. That is one large value proposition to consider. Anyone on this track should act fast as new aircraft manufacturers are ramping up both deliveries and new models to sell.
In conclusion, price matters but it depends! Hopefully, this article has provided clues to sellers, buyers, owners and brokers that will enable them to navigate through the cost vs value challenge and come out the other side with an optimum solution for their operation. ■
KEN ELLIOTT has 52 years of aviation experience focused on avionics, in
General and Business Aviation. Having a broad understanding after working in several countries on many aircraft types and avionics systems, he has contributed to several work groups and committees, including for NextGen, Airport Lighting, Human Factors, Unmanned Aircraft and Low Vision Technology. In retirement, he is striving to give back the knowledge gained with an eye on aviation’s future direction.
Seven Factors Driving Your Next Cabin Refurbishment
What are the key factors behind most aircraft owners’ decisions to refurbish their business aircraft cabins? Chris Kjelgaard asks Duncan Aviation and Elliott Aviation to share their collective observations…
There are seven common reasons why business aircraft owners and operators decide to have their cabins refurbished. These seven reasons pertain, even in today’s overheated preowned aircraft sales market. Indeed, the fact that so many aircraft are being bought and sold is almost certainly creating a greater volume of cabin refurbishment business than would be the case in less heated market conditions.
The reason any given owner may decide to have the cabin of an aircraft refurbished will vary, depending not only on what that owner expects to do with the aircraft after refurbishment, but also on the look and functionality they want the cabin to have.
Reasons for refurbishment also depend on whether the customer is operating the aircraft privately or for business, or offers it for charter.
Other factors may be influential in determining the extent and nature of a cabin refurbishment. For instance, the geographical regions or areas in which the aircraft is mainly to be operated, and the typical durations of its flights, are likely to be important in determining the owner’s expectations of cabin comfort, functionality and service.
If the aircraft is to be used mainly for transporting corporate executives, any refurbishment is likely to emphasize the ease of doing business from the aircraft while in flight. If the owner plans mainly to use the aircraft for transporting family and friends, the refurbishment is likely to emphasize in-flight entertainment options and passenger relaxation.
All of these factors play a role in deciding the work to be performed during a cabin refurbishment. But the basic seven reasons for performing the refurbishment in the first place remain — though only one or two (perhaps three, very occasionally) are likely to be involved in any given individual decision.
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Some of the most common reasons owners decide on refurbishment are when they decide to buy or sell their aircraft, or they choose instead to keep the aircraft in service.
1. Refurbishing a Newly Purchased Aircraft
Possibly the most common reason of all for owners to have cabins of Business Aircraft refurbished is when they buy an aircraft “and want to make it their own”, says Suzanne Hawes, Completion Sales Representative for Duncan Aviation.
Buyers can’t always find aircraft which closely match their particular cabin requirements in terms of look, functionality, and comfort — particularly today, when many aircraft are being sold without ever being listed for sale on the open market.
A new owner may decide to have the aircraft’s cabins refurbished to their own taste immediately upon completing the purchase. Often the fact that a sizable portion of the interior furnishings may be removed during a comprehensive pre-purchase or post-purchase inspection of the aircraft may influence the new owner to have a refurbishment performed on the spot, or as soon after the purchase closes as is practical, says Hawes.
During such inspections, a factor often helping persuade new owners to have refurbishment work performed is that the inspection teams at MRO providers will spot “areas of concern” in the cabin furnishings and fittings, and advise the owners that repair or improvement work needs to be done in specific areas, notes Jerrod Pickford, Interior Department Scheduler at Duncan Aviation.
Generally, the larger the business aircraft that an owner buys, the greater the amount of cabin refurbishment work that they’re prepared to perform, says Hawes. But much depends on the condition the aircraft is in when the new owner purchases it, particularly in today’s market.
“We encourage buyers to know the current market for the aircraft, and if it needs a new interior, how much it will cost, for instance, for a soft-goods refurbishment,” she adds.
2. Refurbishing an Aircraft Before Resale
In normal pre-owned markets, some sellers choose to have the cabins of their aircraft refurbished before putting them up for sale, in order to have the aircraft “appeal to a broader prospect base” and thus maximize aircraft resale value, notes Meghan Welch, Director of Paint and Interior Sales for Elliott Aviation.
In such cases, prospective sellers want to make their aircraft as widely marketable as possible, so they tend to specify that the aircraft be refurbished with furnishings and fittings — carpeting, upholstery and armrest and sidewall drink-holder finishes — of neutral tones and design, says Welch.
3. Refurbishments Ordered by Fleet/Charter Operators
Fleet and charter operators often have cabin refurbishments performed for one of two reasons, according to Welch.
When buying used aircraft, each fleet operator wants the cabin interior of each aircraft in its fleet to have a look and feel which is unique to that operator, so any customer boarding any of its aircraft knowns immediately with which company they’re travelling.
Often the charter or fleet operator will choose a bright and warm interior
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color scheme, and emphasize the attractiveness of the interior by installing LED lighting throughout the cabin, Welch says. Such lighting generally has the advantage of being programmable to allow different settings and colorings to suit different times of day or passenger activities (dining, sleep and/or relaxation periods, or work).
Additionally, because fleet operators usually fly their aircraft much more frequently than non-fleet/private owners, when ordering cabin refurbishments they seek furnishings and fitting that are more durable and damage-tolerant, says Pickford.
This often means fleet owners choose darker-colored carpeting and furniture upholstery, and having furnishings made from hard-wearing materials such as ultra-leather, he says. Such operators also want cabin finishes to be easily repairable and replaceable, choosing thin veneers rather than solid hand-carved woods and granite counter-tops.
And, as a consequence of their relatively high levels of aircraft utilization, it’s also possible that some fleet owners have the cabins of their aircraft refurbished more frequently than private owners do. 4. Refurbishing for Business Use
In some cases, the customers buying used business aircraft whose cabins were previously configured mainly for private or family use want to use the aircraft primarily for business purposes, according to Welch.
These customers will have their aircraft refurbished after the transactions are completed – and, typically, this might mean increasing the Wi-Fi bandwidth to the cabin in order to allow business videoconferences to be streamed to and from the aircraft.
Similar to fleet operators, if the new owner intends to increase the amount of flying the aircraft does, upgrading the durability, maintainability, and quality of the furnishings and fittings becomes a consideration, Welch adds.
5. Refurbishing Instead of Selling the Aircraft
Mission needs evolve over time, and sometimes owners choose to invest funds in refurbishing the cabins of their existing aircraft to provide a better functional match to the missions they’re operating, as opposed to buy one that matches that need.
“We’re seeing a lot of owners/operators really trying to have discussions about maximizing and personalizing their interiors,” Welch explains. “They want to do their refurbishments to personalize the cabins for proper function, fitting their uses and missions.”
Duncan Aviation is seeing the same behavior among its customers. “We do see some refurbishing instead of buying at the inflated prices of today’s market,” Hawes notes.
Major MRO and cabin refurbishment providers such as Elliott Aviation and Duncan Aviation pay close attention to owners seeking to keep their aircraft in service, consulting closely with them on their personal preferences for their refurbished cabins’ look and functionality.
For instance, says Welch, Elliott Aviation performs a lot of detail design work to make sure it can maximize galley space and capabilities, meeting each owner’s in-flight catering and beverage-service requirements.
Seat designs and materials are approved with each owner, and entertainment options are discussed exhaustively to identify what each owner wants in terms of cabin BlueTooth wireless, audio and video capability. This is particularly what each owner desires
in terms of passengers being able to use personal electronic devices in the cabin.
6. Refurbishing to Replace CMS/Increase Wi-Fi Speed [and/or Bandwidth]
Replacement of obsolete aircraft Cabin Management Systems (CMS) is another reason why owners — particularly of older business jets — choose to have cabin refurbishments performed, says Welch.
Nowadays this is very often accompanied by installation or upgrading of Wi-Fi connectivity to the cabin, though Wi-Fi upgrading “depends on the subscriptions [aircraft owners have], and where they’re travelling”, says Hawes. “It’s variable.”
Increasingly, also, CMS replacement
is accompanied by installation of dual USB charging ports (USB-A and/or USB-C) so that passengers can use their personal electronic devices onboard to view the Airmap display of the aircraft’s positional and velocity information, to watch films or listen to music, says Adrian Chene, Avionics Sales Representative at Duncan Aviation. (However, many owners are also specifying upgrades to their aircraft’s Hi-Fi cabin audio equipment during refurbs.) Hawes adds that in most cases owners aren’t choosing to have cabin bulkhead monitors removed, despite the growing prevalence of onboard PED usage. But many are choosing to have onboard VHS tape players and DVD players removed as passengers increasingly look to their PEDs to provide them with personalized entertainment.
One area potentially of some design concern to Business Aircraft manufacturers is that outfitting an aircraft with dual USB charging ports for, say, eight to 15 passengers may alter the aircraft’s electrical powergeneration requirements substantially, according to Chene.
Today’s rapid-charging dual-USB ports can require a power input of 60 watts, and when as many as 15 passengers are travelling, this can mean that the aircraft’s total power requirement, purely for USB ports, can exceed 1,000 watts.
Modern Business Aircraft are designed with high electrical power usage in mind, and their electricity generators are sized to generate large power loads. But older aircraft, fitted with USB ports at every seat, could find their electric power-generation capabilities overwhelmed if every passenger wanted to use their PED at the same time.
In the future, as more and more USB chargers find their way into the armrests of business aircraft, some may need to have more powerful electrical generators or auxiliary power units installed, Chene suggests.
7. Refurbishing to Coincide with Aircraft Downtime
Some owners decide the time is right to refurbish the cabins of their aircraft — and sometimes for the aircraft also to undergo exterior repaint when
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“Buyers can’t always find aircraft which closely match their particular cabin requirements in terms of look, functionality, and comfort...”
they’re scheduled to be in the shop for a lengthy period of downtime for other maintenance or upgrade work, says Welch.
In timing cabin refurbishments to coincide with what is unavoidable downtime anyway, such owners aim to minimize the total amount of downtime their aircraft must experience over the longer-term.
Co-scheduling of cabin refurbishment is particularly common when owners decide to have the avionics of their aircraft replaced or upgraded, Welch explains.
During downtime periods for avionics work, owners often feel that upgrading cabin connectivity and CMS functions, and performing other cabin refurbishment work is a natural fit with the cockpit modernization, and is best scheduled for the same time.
Tips on Scheduling Refurbishments
While scheduling a cabin refurbishment to accompany other planned aircraft downtime has the advantage that all the logistics involved in the refurb can be carefully worked out well beforehand, that is not necessarily the case when an owner wants to have the cabin refurbished immediately after completing the purchase of the aircraft.
For various reasons to do with today’s overheated used-aircraft market, global trade tensions, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the plethora of supply-chain bottlenecks affecting the movement of many manufactured items throughout the world, lead times for aircraft parts and materials are “extremely challenging”, according to Hawes.
“Pricing [of parts] has gone up, and supply is taking longer, all over the board,” confirms Pickford. “It is affecting everything, from seat leather to carpeting to switch panels. And it’s not just the interior [of the aircraft which is being affected], it’s the airframe as well. You can’t get engine parts,” for instance.
Hawes estimates that about one in every three used-aircraft buyers Duncan Aviation sees expects to have some kind of cabin-refurbishment work performed when they buy their aircraft. But the supply-chain difficulties Business Aviation is facing (as are many other industries) make scheduling the required downtime a tricky business.
“When the aircraft is going through a pre-buy or a post-buy inspection, we do a specification session to get everything [which is to be involved in the cabin refurb] selected,” she says. “Then we schedule it out for those parts,” to obtain a planned date for the required downtime to begin.
The timing of the downtime required for the cabin refurbishment “depends on the work-scope and the parts the owners select,” says Pickford. “For instance, lead time for a custom handmade carpet can be 18 weeks. It’s pretty critical to have everything on hand when the aircraft comes into the shop. That’s the biggest thing — educating the client on where we’re at,” in terms of the lead times on every part the client has selected.
While this means clients won’t necessarily be able to have cabins refurbished to their liking immediately after they have bought their aircraft, “the good thing is that they’re flying the aircraft” in the intervening period before the scheduled cabin-refurb downtime begins, concludes Pickford. ■
More information from: Duncan Aviation: www.duncanaviation.aero Elliott Aviation: www.elliottaviation.com
CHRIS KJELGAARD has been an aviation
