George Washington readily owned up to a small-scale exercise in deforestation, but how likely is it that he would have confessed to an experiment in ‘cherry tree cancelation’? Believe no longer that debates about the number of angels able to dance on a pinhead represent the world’s most excruciatingly obtuse argument. Would even Albert Einstein be smart enough to fathom when a business jet order is not a business jet order?
* Illegal flights . The EBAA has led two studies into so called illegal flights in Europe. Work is ongoing but the figure of about 7% of illegal flights is roughly correct. “The very important thing to keep in mind, is that very few are deliberately illegal,” says association president Brian Humphries.
Popularly supposed to be impossible because of data overload issues, a lifesaving and money-saving “black box” telemetry device is here, right now, and available to business aircraft operators. MH370 and, before that, AF447: flight numbers that have entered public consciousness. If only there were technology that could track every flight everywhere in the world, collecting and downloading to the ground in real time everything that went into its black box recorder. Impossible; forget about it.
Greenpoint Technologies is introducing its new Azure interior design for the 787 BBJ here at EBACE, a creation the company says reflects “the freedom of artistry, engineering and innovation. It is, according to lead designer Julie Myers, a collection of materials and forms within a naturalist’s passion for discover and exploration, and inspiration from both land and sea with an essence of organic forms.
Dubai-based Hadid International Services (Booth 6515) is paying increasing attention to the needs of business travelers in Africa, noting that it supported more than 6,000 flights in Africa in 2013 and has seen a 30% increase in the first quarter of this year.
Bell Helicopter has delivered a Bell 429 to Swiss operator Heli-Alps, which provides corporate transport, heli-skiing, sightseeing tours, aerial photography and other utility operations. It is the first VIP-configured Bell 429 to enter service in Switzerland, and was customized at the Bell Helicopter facility in Prague.
Are you sitting comfortably? You will be if you visit the Iacobucci HF Aerospace Booth 3623, where the Ferentino, Italy–based company is launching its new double- and single-shell seats for large VIP aircraft. Named Roma and Milano, respectively, both are fully electromechanically operated, with a wide range of movements managed by the actuator software. Configurations available at the touch of an armrest-mounted button go from full upright to full horizontal flat-bed position.
“We’ve brought the Biggin Hill JETS operation to stability,” says 328 Group CEO Dave Jackson. “The FBO has been divested to Signature Flight Support so that we can concentrate on MRO work,” he says. “We’ve seen an increase in traffic and 30%-plus of business is coming from new customers. We believe that the aircraft types covered at Biggin Hill complement our capabilities at our JETS Bournemouth operation.”
L-3 Platform Integration’s VIP and Head-of-State Completion Center has defined the five top “must-haves” that customers request on new VVIP completions: 1. Broadband Internet. “More than ever,” says L-3, “customers want high bandwidth throughout the aircraft.”
L-3’s Platform Integration unit reports a four-year extension of Organization Designation Authorization from the U.S. FAA, noting too that it’s been approved to modify the Boeing 787. The ODA allows L-3 to issue its own certificates of airworthiness and supplemental type certificates. The firm has made 50 VIP aircraft deliveries, of types ranging from the Boeing Business Jet to the Airbus ACJ340.
Landmark Aviation is increasing its presence in the U.K. with the acquisition of RSS Jet Center Limited. The acquisition gives Landmark three locations in the U.K. – London Luton, Manchester, and Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The newest Landmark Aviation bases expand the FBO chain’s reach in Europe to 13 locations, including ten in France.
The National Business Aviation Association and the Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) have extended their partnership for five more years, firmly planting ABACE – the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition – at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport through 2021. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen and SAA VP Wang Jijie formally signed the extension during ABACE2014, following up on the first five-year pact signed in June 2011.
Japan is beginning to make strides in improving access for business aviation, but Masaaki Kai, senior director general for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), concedes the operations are still relatively few and more needs to be accomplished. The number of business aviation arrivals and departures in Japan topped 13,000 in 2013, up by nearly 1,300 from a year earlier. At Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, business aircraft traffic jumped by 30%. Nagoya Airport, which had fewer than 80 business aircraft arrivals, is preparing for a steady rise in traffic.
With Embraer’s business jet portfolio close to completion with the upcoming certification of its midsize Legacy 500 and mid-light Legacy 450, the Brazilian manufacturer is using EBACE to showcase its renewed focus on systems upgrades and improvements to the state-of-the-art interiors across its full range.
“We will see instant [online] pricing within the next few years,” says Adam Twiddell, the founder and CEO of online booking specialist PrivateFly. At the moment customers can get five quotes in five minutes if they are Europe- or U.S.-based but this only gives a market estimate of the price which still has to be confirmed by the aircraft’s operator.
Qatar Executive has strengthened its position as a provider of maintenance services for Bombardier aircraft in the Middle East following approval from the Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority to conduct line maintenance on Bombardier’s Challenger 604s/605s and Globals. The company recently received a similar approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands for Bombardier aircraft registered in the western Caribbean state.
The Press Office at London City Airport had a tough time in early April batting off a media assault that grew to epidemic proportions. It was caused by a report from the New Economics Foundation suggesting that London City Airport should be closed and re-developed for housing. NEF’s challenge: Does it make sense to locate an airport in such precious inner-city space? What if we reclaimed this historic site and built a new neighborhood, incorporating the best thinking about sustainable urban design?
Munich Executive Airport is open for business and all it takes is a phone call to fly there, says Johannes Graf von Shaesberg, chairman and CEO of Rheinland Air Service. The company operates the FBO and offers complete airport passenger and crew services. “The perception is that Oberpfenhoffen/Munich Executive is still restricted to based aircraft and limited to flights booked to visit businesses here,” von Shaesberg says. “This is no longer the case.”
Munich Executive Airport is open for business and all it takes is a phone call to fly there, says Johannes Graf von Shaesberg, chairman and CEO of Rheinland Air Service. The company operates the FBO and offers complete airport passenger and crew services. “The perception is that Oberpfenhoffen/Munich Executive is still restricted to based aircraft and limited to flights booked to visit businesses here,” von Shaesberg says. “This is no longer the case.”
TrueNorth Avionics (Booth 4441) is launching the Optelity Wi-Fi platform as an adjunct to its Simphone OpenCabin communication products. The Optelity communications suite is designed to accommodate the latest passenger devices, as well as future technology developments.
Denmark’s Satcom1, a longtime service provider for Inmarsat SwiftBroadband equipment, has been named a distribution partner for the global business and VVIP aviation market. The agreement means that Satcom1 will be able to improve its level of support in terms of activation and airtime, real-time trouble-shooting, and diagnostics, the company says.
Raisbeck Engineering’s Swept Blade Propellers for the Beechcraft King Air C90 series have been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency. “Our new Swept Blade Propellers were designed to the current standards of the FAA. This allowed for a quick and very smooth process when requesting the Supplemental Type Certificate from EASA,” said Bill Lally, VP, customer support.
With Embraer’s Legacy 500 approaching certification and customer deliveries set to begin this year, other manufacturers are likely bracing—or should be.
