HAI HELI-EXPO 2016

161 - MAR-APR 2016 

OUR 28th YEAR 

PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC 

BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE 

GLOBAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND SPARE PARTS page 60 

CONNECTIVITY USERS FEEL A NEED FOR SPEED page 68 

SUPER-MEDIUM CLASS 

HELICOPTERS 

AN INSIGHTFUL PREVIEW OF 

HAI HELI-EXPO 2016 page 56

SOMEWHERE BELOW YOU, 

THERE’S A WORLD FULL OF SPEED LIMITS. 

Leave everything else behind. The HondaJet won’t just get you there 

faster; it will do it with a level of comfort that makes getting there as 

exciting as the destination. Escape the gridlock. hondajet.com

EDITORIAL 

PUBLISHER'S 

NOTES 

Although we are a new team, 

BART’s great traditions will 

always be with us. For 

example, the magazine’s first 

Editor-in-Chief Marc Grangier, 

now 73, is still among our 

active contributors. 

AS FRANK SINATRA MIGHT HAVE SUNG, 

it was a very good year. One of innovation 

for our industry. OEMs outdid themselves 

launching new programs, rolling out new 

aircraft and gaining certification for their 

latest models. Two clean-sheet aircraft, the 

Gulfstream G500 and G650, were launched 

in Georgia. In France, Dassault introduced 

two new business jets, the Falcon 8X and the 

5X. The Citation Latitude, Phenom 300 and 

Bombardier Global 7000 all also blossomed 

on our playing field. 

I would like to emphasize the "special class" 

HondaJet, with its original concept design. 

Also the Pilatus 24 Super Versatile Jet, and 

finally the AS2, a long awaited supersonic 

business jet, from Aerion in partnership with 

Airbus. 

Our mission at BART is to inform you of 

these latest developments. Six times a year 

we update you with the latest developments 

in our dynamic industry. In opposition to 

lifestyle magazines, our goal is to present our 

line of work as a business tool rather than a 

luxury gizmo. 

Do you know that BART stands for 

Business Aviation Real Tool? That's what 

Business Aviation is for trade and industry 

and that's what we want to be for you, a 

tool and a resource. I have been a 

publisher of aviation magazines for 44 

years and I know that if you want to keep 

your reader's attention, you have to have 

the best editors, journalists and 

photographers. You also need to get and 

deserve the confidence of advertisers in the 

industry. Last year, guided by our 

managing editor Paul Walsh, we celebrated 

our 27th anniversary with a recordbreaking 

readership. 

At a time when aviation magazines are 

becoming leaner or disappearing, making 

place for on-line substitutes, I gave a 

mandate to the BART's team to make your 

magazine even better, starting with a new 

layout and improved editorial page quality. 

One sign of that commitment is the arrival of 

Volker Thomalla as our new Editor-in-Chief. 

One of the premier talents among aviation 

journalists, Volker comes to us from Motor 

Press Stuttgart in Bonn, where he was at the 

helm of the entire Aerospace Division. 

Editor-in-Chief of Flug Revue and Aerokurier 

for 25 years, we are fortunate to benefit from 

the high reputation he acquired within our 

industry. We are proud of him, and proud to 

have him. Busra Ozturk is another recent 

addition to our editorial team. We hired the 

young Turkish journalist to support Volker 

with the management of our team of 

contributors. 

BART has always been a friend to the 

people in the aviation industry, and to its 

readers. Another new addition, Titi 

Kusumandari comes to us from Indonesia to 

support Associate Publisher Kathy Ann 

Francois in keeping up with our readers and 

industry players. 

BART exceedingly deserves its 

"International" adjective. It is a Business 

Aviation standard, one of too few authorities 

you can trust today. You can trust us now, 

and you can trust us to always be setting our 

standards even higher worldwide. 

“Transatlantic relations are in a good period. The patient is the rest of the world. 

Global problems would be in a better state if we co-operate.” 

Javier Solana

Volume XXVIII N° 2 

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 

Fernand M. Francois 

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER 

Kathy Ann Francois 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Volker K. Thomalla 

vthomalla@bartintl.com 

DEPUTY EDITOR 

Busra Ozturk 

ART DIRECTOR 

Tanguy Francois 

SAFETY EDITOR 

Michael Grüninger 

INSTRUCTION EDITOR 

Captain LeRoy Cook 

TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Steve Nichols 

ROTORCRAFT EDITOR 

Mark Huber 

NEW YORK EDITOR 

Kirby J. Harrison 

PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC 

BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE 

MEMBER OF 

SECTIONS 

3 

EDITORIAL 

6 

POINTER 

8 

QUICK LANE 

22 

BUSINESS NEWS 

26 

TRANSATLANTIC UPDATE 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Louis Smyth, Giulia Mauri, 

Aofie O'Sullivan, Derek Bloom, 

Guy Visele, Richard Koe, 

Brian Foley 

ADVERTISING 

Kathy Ann Francois 

Marketing Director 

kafrancois@bartintl.com 

Titi Kusumandari 

Marketing Manager 

tkusumandari@bartintl.com 

BART International. Premier Transatlantic 

Business Aviation Magazine. ISSN 0776-7596. 

Printed in Belgium, published by SA F&L 

20 rue de l'Industrie at B1400 Nivelles, 

Phone +326 788 3603. Fax +326 788 3623. 

BART International is governed by 

the International copyright laws. 

Free Professional subscription available 

International distribution by ASENDIA 

USPS 016707 Periodical postage paid 

Call IMS 1 (800) 428 3003 

Responsible Publisher Fernand M. Francois 

EBACE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION 

30 

FLEET REPORT 

Despite a rough economic year in 2015, 

Business Aviation defied the odds 

reports Busra Ozturk 

in our annual fleet report. 

42 

THE BIG (CABIN) CHILL 

The BRIC countries are experiencing 

a slowdown in demand for big cabin 

business aircraft. 

45 

ANOTHER CHOPPY YEAR 

Flight activities disappointed in 2015, 

reports Richard Koe. 

48 

HELICOPTER DEMAND 

In almost every region, the helicopter 

market saw a stable growth. 

CONTENTS 

53 

TECHNOLOGY WINNING THE FIGHT 

Helicopter Cabin Noise reduction 

systems are making their way into 

modern helicopters. 

56 

HELI-EXPO 2016 PREVIEW 

The super-medium helicopter class is 

drawing customers from both medium 

to heavy class helicopter customers 

reports Mark Huber. 

68 

THE NEED FOR SPEED 

Steve Nichols evaluates the latest 

developments of in-flight 

connectivity services. 

74 

FROM THE COCKPIT 

LeRoy Cook reflects on the tough 

aspects of pilot judgement and decision 

making in unfamiliar situations.

OUR ADVERTISERS and their Agencies 

81 AMSTAT 

13 Dassault Falcon Puck l’Agence 

27 Duncan Aviation 

25 EBACE 2016 

9 FlightSafety International Greteman Group 

67 GCS Safety Solution 

7 Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation 

2 HondaJet Milner Butcher Media Group 

11 Jet Aviation 

65 Jet Expo 2016 

43 JetNetLLC 

21 JSSI Jet Support Services Inc. 

39 NBAA-BACE 2016 

15 Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. 

69 Rockwell Collins ARINCDirect 

19 Rolls-Royce 

73 Satcom Direct 

84 Textron Aviation Customer Support Copp Media Services, Inc. 

83 Universal Avionics Systems, Corp. 

17 Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. 

OUR COVER 

Helicopters in the super-midsize 

category are emerging on the 

market. The Airbus Helicopters 

H175 adorning our cover is an 

offering in the niche. 

Read the insightful preview 

of Heli-Expo 2016 on page 56

POINTER 

Events 

Agenda 

HAI HELI-EXPO 

Feb. 29 – March 3, 2016 

Louisville KY, USA 

AERO Friedrichshafen 

April 20 – 23, 2016 

Friedrichshafen, Germany 

EBACE 

May 24 – 26, 2016 

Geneva, Switzerland 

IN SEQUENCE 

BRIEFING ROOM 

MORE TSA WAIVER CHANGES 

1. Recent changes 

Three NOTAMs were issued – 6/4260, 6/4256, and 6/4255 – and the only change is the reinclusion 

of “portal countries.” The purpose of this change was to alleviate some of the restrictions 

impacting operators registered in these portal countries regarding overflying the U.S. and 

its territories or possessions. 

2. Portal country considerations 

Aircraft no longer require TSA Waivers to transit U.S. territorial airspace if they’re departing 

from a portal country and arriving into a portal country, as long as they are also registered to 

“portal countries” – Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, and Cayman 

Islands, and under 100,309 lbs. maximum takeoff weight. Therefore, an operator with an aircraft 

under 100,309 lbs. MTOW registered to one of the portal countries may fly direct from 

Mexico to Canada without a TSA Waiver. However, a direct flight from Canada to Guatemala 

still requires a TSA Waiver, as Guatemala is not a portal country. 

3. Non-portal country considerations 

Under current TSA Waiver regulations, operators of aircraft registered in non-portal countries 

that are less than 100,309 lbs. MTOW require TSA Waivers for all overflight of U.S. territorial 

airspace, but they do not require waivers when operating within the U.S., with the exception of 

“special interest countries.” 

4. Operating to, from, and within U.S. airspace 

As per the previous TSA-related NOTAMs issued December 11, 2015, operators of aircraft 

under 100,309 lbs. MTOW no longer require TSA Waivers when operating within the U.S., 

unless their aircraft are registered to “special interest” countries. Special interest countries currently 

include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, and Syria. Operators of aircraft 

registered to these countries require TSA Waivers for all flights over and within U.S. airspace, 

its territories and possessions, and they also require Special Routing Authorization from the 

FAA. Also, note that for your first stop into the U.S. and last point out of the country, you need 

to ensure that you have U.S. APIS filed. 

5. Obtaining TSA Waivers 

Normal lead time to obtain a TSA Waiver is five business days. Blanket TSA Waivers may be 

obtained for up to 90 days, and we recommend adding any aircraft, crew, and airport ICAOs 

you may travel to or from on the TSA Waiver application. Note that TSA is closed weekends 

and holidays and does not process waivers during these times. However, short notice waiver 

requests may be obtained with less than five business days lead time at TSA’s discretion. All 

TSA Waivers are applied for online. Note that a login/password is needed to check on the status 

of your TSA Waiver request. Once a waiver is confirmed TSA will update this on its site. If 

there are any issues with the waiver request they’ll send you an email. Some of the larger 

issues with TSA Waiver submissions include incorrect crew and passenger information and filling 

out the form incorrectly. 

Questions? 

If you have any questions about this article or would like assistance obtaining your next TSA 

Waiver, contact UNIVERSAL WEATHER & AVIATION at lukasmarrow@univ-wea.com or luisnambo@univ-wea.com. 

Follow us on Instagram 

@bart_intl 

LABACE 

Aug 23 – 25, 2016 

Sào Paulo, Brazil 

FARNBOROUGH INT’L AIRSHOW 

July 11 – 17, 2016 

Farnborough, UK 

BART MOURNS LOSS OF BERNARD FITZSIMONS 

It is with very deep sadness that we are informing you that our 

MRO editor Bernard Fitzsimons, one of our more respected 

journalists passed away on December 9 following catastrophic 

surgery to remove a lung. 

Bernard was a great editor, putting aerospace in writing for more 

than 25 years. He was writing in BART 158, September issue 

“There is always something new to learn. 

I look forward to seeing how Business Jets pan out for the next 

10 years – and whatever else the industry comes up with”. We 

lost him three months later! 

All of us at BART International are deeply saddened by “Ernie’s” 

passing and we express our deepest sympathy and condolences 

to his wife Jenny and his family. 

6 - BART: MARCH - APRIL 2016

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To contact a Gulfstream sales representative 

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GULFSTREAM.COM 

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Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

QUICK LANE 

FAA CERTIFIES RAISBECK SWEPT BLADE PROPELLERS FOR KING AIR 350S 

Raisbeck Engineering announced the FAA 

certification of its 4-Blade Swept Propellers 

for the King Air 350 family on Feb. 3. The 

backlog of orders for the newest version of 

Raisbeck/Hartzell Swept Blade Propellers 

began immediately, with first production 

shipset going to Raisbeck dealer Stevens 

Aviation in Dayton, Ohio for installation on 

Denison Aviation’s Indianapolis-based 350. 

The second shipset is headed to Elliott 

Aviation in Des Moines, Iowa for installation 

on Iowa State University’s 350. 

AAC REDELIVERS FIRST BOEING 787-8 VVIP 

FOR HEAD OF STATE CUSTOMER 

Associated Air Center (AAC), StandardAero’s Large Transport 

Category VIP Completions Center has redelivered the company’s 

and the industry’s first Boeing 787-8 Head of State aircraft 

completion. This project was AAC’s first Boeing 787-8 model aircraft 

completion and the company’s eighth wide-body completion 

project. The Head of State configuration features 2,404 

square feet of cabin space. This interior configuration can comfortably 

accommodate 82 VIP passengers. 

WEST STAR AVIATION 

RECEIVES ODA/STC 

CERTIFICATE FROM FAA 

JET AVIATION ST. LOUIS 

COMPLETES UPGRADES TO PAINT SHOP 

Jet Aviation St. Louis has 

completed the installation 

of a sophisticated system 

of controls for climate, air 

quality, and final finish in 

the Paint Shop. “Our new 

computerized and automated 

climate-control system, 

painter decontamination 

chambers, and paint 

delivery and quality-control 

devices provide the 

best quality control in the 

art of aircraft painting,” 

said Britt Julius, manager, 

Paint Shop. 

COMLUX EXTENDS VVIP FLEET 

WITH 3 ACQUISITIONS 

West Star Aviation has announced 

that they received an Organizational 

Design Authorization (ODA) allowing 

them to issue Supplemental 

Type Certification (STC) projects on 

behalf of the FAA. West Star 

Aviation is now authorized to show 

compliance on behalf of the FAA in 

regards to STCs, and recently 

issued an STC on the FAA’s behalf, 

for the installation and certification 

of the Honeywell CAS-100B TCAS 

7.1 upgrade. 

TEXTRON COMPLETES 

CERTIFICATION OF US COMPANY- 

OWNED SERVICE CENTERS 

Textron Aviation Inc. announced on Jan. 28 that it 

has attained new certifications allowing each U.S. 

company-owned service center to support the 

Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands. “All 14 

Textron Aviation-operated service centers in North 

America have received expanded certifications in 

the past year, allowing us to deliver on our service 

commitments across our brands,” said Brad 

Thress, senior vice president, Customer Service. 

Comlux The Aviation Group has announced 

major developments to its VVIP fleet of aircraft, 

which consolidate its position as a key 

player in the ultra-large cabin / ultra-long 

range aircraft market, confirming the purchase 

of 3 brand new Airbus ACJ320 neo, all 

equipped with CFM Engines. In 2015, Fly 

Comlux has signed 5 new aircraft management 

contracts with undisclosed customers of 

heavy jets and bizjets: 1 Gulfstream 650, 2 

Bombardier Global 6000, 1 Airbus ACJ319 

and 1 Boeing 777BBJ. 


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QUICK LANE 

CESSNA ANNOUNCES 2016 TOP HAWK UNIVERSITY PARTNERS 

Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of 

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, 

announced the partner universities 

selected for its 2016 Top Hawk program 

on Jan. 28. Kent State University, 

LeTourneau University, Purdue 

University and Westminster College will 

each take delivery of a new, custom 

branded Cessna Skyhawk 172 aircraft to 

support flight training, recruiting efforts 

and promotional activities at their respective 

universities throughout the year. 

DUNCAN RECEIVES STC FOR INTEGRATED CHALLENGER 

601 3A/3R CPDLC/FANS 1/A+ SOLUTION 

Duncan Aviation announced that it recently completed an industry-first Controller 

Pilot Data Link Communications/Future Air Navigation System (CPDLC/FANS) 

1/A+ installation. The Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was recently issued by the 

FAA and covers the Challenger 601. The installation features the upgraded NZ-2000 

Honeywell Flight Management System (FMS), which integrates with current 

Challenger 601 Original Equipment Manager (OEM) flight decks. “Our installation is 

unique in the industry,” says Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic. 

JET AVIATION COMPLETES 3 FANS 

INSTALLATIONS IN CHALLENGER 604S 

The industry’s first three installations of 

Future Aircraft Navigation Systems (FANS) in 

Bombardier Challenger 604s by Jet Aviation 

St. Louis are complete, with three more 

already scheduled. The installations are possible 

after Jet Aviation St. Louis received FAA 

approval for a Supplemental Type Certificate 

(STC). Jet Aviation St. Louis teamed with 

Rockwell Collins to develop the STC for the 

Challenger 604 FANS 1/A aftermarket solution. 

AIRBUS DELIVERS ACJ319 WITH 

HIGH-TECH SYSTEM ONBOARD 

Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC), the innovative 

provider of customized nose-to-tail solutions 

to VIP and airline customers under Airbus standards, 

has delivered a refurbished Airbus ACJ319 

for an undisclosed government, after a successful 

C-Check (10 years) and heavy work on the fuselage. 

This project presented a double challenge 

by requiring high-level communication and inflight 

entertainment (IFE) systems and a new 

cabin configuration in a record time. 

TEXTRON AVIATION LAUNCHES 

1CALL, COMPLETE AIRCRAFT 

SUPPORT TEAM 

FLIGHTSAFETY RECEIVES FAA LEVEL D QUALIFICATION FOR 

2 CESSNA CARAVAN SIMULATORS 

FlightSafety International has received Level 

D qualification from the United States Federal 

Aviation Administration for two Cessna 

Caravan aircraft simulators located at its 

Wichita East Learning Center. The simulators 

are equipped with Garmin G1000 and Garmin 

G600 avionics. “The Level D qualification of 

our Cessna Caravan simulators by the FAA 

demonstrates FlightSafety’s ongoing commitment 

to provide the highest quality training 

using advanced technology equipment that 

meets the highest standards,” said Daniel 

MacLellan, Senior Vice President, 

Operations. 

Textron Aviation Inc. has announced that it 

has bolstered its customer service offering 

with the launch of 1Call, which provides a single 

point of contact for Beechcraft, Citation 

and Hawker customers during unscheduled 

maintenance events. Customers can access 

the dedicated 1Call team by dialing +1-316-517- 

2090. The team oversees every step of a maintenance 

event using visual display boards that 

track all calls, air response aircraft and mobile 

service units through issue resolution. 


SAFETY FIRST 

Jet Aviation Maintenance and Refurbishment Services 

You can count on Jet Aviation’s 50-plus years of industry experience whether you need a routine inspection, heavy 

maintenance and repair, refurbishment, or the technical expertise of our round-the-clock AOG team. Strategically 

located around the world, our repair stations are staffed by technicians trained in all major airframes. Keeping 

your aircraft safe and operational is our No.1 priority at every Jet Aviation facility. You can count on us. 

Visit our global MRO locations: 

Basel, Boston/Bedford, Dubai, Geneva 

Hong Kong, Jeddah, Moscow Vnukovo 

Singapore, St. Louis, Teterboro, Vienna 

www.jetaviation.com/maintenance

QUICK LANE 

OSLO AIRPORT FIRST LOCATION TO SUPPLY 

AIR BP BIOJET VIA FUEL HYDRANT SYSTEM 

In a first for commercial aviation, Air 

BP, together with Norwegian airport 

operator Avinor, and sustainable biofuel 

specialist SkyNRG, announced the 

results of a successful collaboration for 

commercial supply of jet biofuel at 

Oslo Airport Gardermoen on Jan. 22. 

From this date, all airlines landing at 

Oslo Airport can have jet biofuel delivered 

from the airport’s main fuel farm, 

via the existing hydrant mechanism. 

JET AVIATION ZURICH SIGNS 

DISPENSER FUELING AGREEMENT 

WITH LUFTHANSA GROUP 

Jet Aviation Zurich has signed an agreement with 

the Lufthansa Group to provide high-volume fuel 

uplifts through docked dispenser fueling. The 

company successfully fueled its first Lufthansa 

Group aircraft with dispenser fueling on Jan. 1. 

As part of its agreement, Jet Aviation Zurich purchased 

two new dispenser trucks and hired five 

new truck operators, thereby expanding its fueling 

team to 18, and sent three refueling operators 

to Frankfurt, Germany, for dispenser training. 

COMLUX LAUNCHES NEW VIP SERVICE CENTER IN MIDDLE EAST WITH TEXEL AIR 

Comlux The Aviation Group has announced the 

signing of a cooperation agreement with Texel 

Air, in order to provide its Middle East customers 

with dedicated MRO line Maintenance and cabin 

upgrades & refurbishments on their VIP aircraft. 

While Texel Air will provide hangar, maintenance 

and certification services through its 3,200 m2 

facility at Bahrain International airport, Comlux 

will take care of system upgrades and cabin modification 

services by hiring high-skilled local 

craftsmen and engineers, managed and assisted 

by Comlux America experts on-site. 

GLOBAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 

FOR GROUND HANDLERS BY UNIVERSAL AVIATION 

Universal Aviation has announced a new global certification program 

designed to recognize and distinguish ground handlers 

around the world. “When our clients operate to a Universal 

Aviation Certified location, even in remote locales, they can have 

confidence that they will receive the same level of service and commitment 

that they would at a Universal Aviation location,” said 

Jonathan Howells, Senior Vice President, International, Universal. 

LONDON OXFORD AIRPORT 

OBTAINS TWO NEW ACCREDITATIONS 

London Oxford Airport is ringing in the New Year with two new 

accreditations. Its OxfordJet FBO has become one of only a few 

FBO’s in the UK to receive the International Standard for Business 

Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). London Oxford has also achieved formal 

recognition from Gulfstream Aerospace for approved ground 

handling. This news follows an increasing number of Gulfstream 

business jets utilizing the OxfordJet FBO on a regular basis. 


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to fl y long distances from short and challenging runways such as Aspen and London City. The 8X is more than three feet longer, with 

over 30 cabin layouts. Fly far. Fly in comfort. Achieve more. 

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QUICK LANE 

BELL HELICOPTER, 

AIR METHODS CELEBRATE HISTORIC BELL 407GXP DELIVERY 

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, has announced the delivery of the Bell 

407GXP configured for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services to Air Methods. 

This is the first of many Bell 407GXPs expected over the next ten years. “Air 

Methods is celebrating this historic milestone that supports our mission of giving 

more tomorrows,” said Aaron Todd, chief executive officer, Air Methods. “As our 

launch customer for this aircraft, we take great pride in their ongoing trust in Bell 

Helicopter,” said Bell Helicopter’s President and CEO Mitch Snyder. 

JET AVIATION ZURICH FBO 

HANDLES VAST MAJORITY OF 

HEAD-OF-STATE WEF 2016 FLIGHTS 

Jet Aviation Zurich spent months preparing 

for the surge of VIP customers that arrived in 

Zurich to attend the 46th annual World 

Economic Forum (WEF) meeting, held Jan. 

20-23, in Davos, Switzerland. The company 

served the majority of aircraft and passengers 

attending WEF, handling 612 movements 

and 1,830 passengers while supporting 

fuel sales of 1.5 million liters. The WEF drew 

business aviation traffic from around the 

world. 

PARAGON NETWORK ADDS 

LUX AIR JET CENTERS 

AT PHOENIX-GOODYEAR AIRPORT 

Lux Air Jet Centers, located at Phoenix- 

Goodyear Airport (KGYR), became an official 

member of the Paragon Network on Jan 1, 

2016. Lux Air Jet Centers has been the 

Phoenix-Goodyear Airport full service FBO 

since 2007. Lux Air Goodyear offers a full 

range of ground support assistance for all types 

of aircraft, including heavy transports. Their 

highly trained line staff is known for providing 

the highest level of customer service. 

EPIC ADDS KONECT AVIATION 

TO THEIR FBO NETWORK 

EPIC welcomes Konect Aviation (MMV) as the 

newest EPIC FBO Network location. As an 

EPIC branded location Konect Aviation will be 

accepting the globally accepted EPIC Card and 

will award Bravo Rewards points on all fueling 

purchases. Konect Aviation was awarded the 

Fixed Base Operator/Airport Manager contract 

for the McMinnville Municipal Airport, 

granting Konect Aviation the authority to provide 

general aviation support services to visitors. 

FLIGHTSAFETY INT’L ADDS GULFSTREAM G650 CPDLC 

TO ITS eLEARNING COURSES 

FlightSafety International adds Gulfstream G650 Controller Pilot 

Data Link Communication to its extensive series of eLearning 

courses and CPDLC iFlightDECK subscription-based application. 

The three-hour eLearning CPDLC scenario-based course is 

designed to familiarize pilots with CPDLC/ADS-C operations in normal 

and abnormal situations. The course will take them through a 

flight planning phase, as well as flights over the Atlantic and Pacific 

oceans. 


1200 HORSEPOWER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 

The PC-12 NG is part pacemaker, part insider tip. Its short-field performance lets you 

say yes to trips that used to give you headaches. Its operating costs come in much, 

much lower than competing aircraft. The large cabin makes it a joy for riders. And its 

renowned safety and reliability are backed by the industry’s top-rated support. All in 

all, a workhorse that looks good, any way you look at it. 

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd • Switzerland • Phone +41 41 619 61 11 • www.pilatus-aircraft.com

QUICK LANE 

TAG FARNBOROUGH AIRPORT 

OPENS NEW TERMINAL FACILITIES 

AMAC AEROSPACE OPENS 4th HANGAR 

AT EUROAIRPORT IN BASEL 

TAG Farnborough Airport has invested 

an additional £1 million to create more 

space for passengers and crew at its terminal 

building in order to meet growing 

demand. In 2015, air traffic movement 

(ATM) growth was 2%. This includes a 

6% increase in the number of airlinerderived 

(50-80 tons maximum take-off 

weight) business jets, which represents 

the highest number in this category for 

any year. 

DAHER DELIVERS 

55 TBM 900 AIRCRAFT IN 2015 

AMAC Aerospace AG opens its fourth hangar at their facilities at 

EuroAirport in Basel after only 11 months construction time. 

The additional hangar area of 7,280 m2 and the additional apron 

area of 6,038 m2 allow AMAC Aerospace to further expand their 

capacity for wide-body maintenance work. Unlike the already 

existing three hangars, the fourth one is purely dedicated to 

maintenance projects and wide-body aircrafts. 

Daher’s Airplane Business Unit delivered a total of 55 TBM 900s 

in 2015 – a 10 percent increase compared to 2014, and the second 

best year since the first TBM single-engine very fast turboprop 

aircraft was provided to a customer in 1991. The 2015 geographic 

distribution reflected global economic trends in 2015, as 

TBM 900 deliveries were led by the United States. Latin America 

ranked second, while Europe was third. 

ASSOCIATED AIR CENTER 

COMPLETES 

FAA STC CERTIFICATION 

Associated Air Center (AAC) has 

obtained a Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) Supplemental 

Type Certificate (STC) for the 

installation of a Controller-Pilot 

Data Link Communication 

(CPDLC) System — as part of the 

requirements for Future Air 

Navigation System (FANS) — on 

a Boeing Business Jet VIP model 

aircraft. The STC was completed 

at AAC’s FAR-145 FAA Repair 

Station at Dallas Love Field and 

delivered to the customer on Dec. 

23, 2015. 

AEROSERVICIO APPOINTED EXCLUSIVE KODIAK SALES REPRESENTATIVE 

Quest Aircraft Company has 

named Aeroservicio as its 

authorized KODIAK sales 

representative for Chile. 

Based in Santiago, Chile, 

Aeroservicio has over 50 

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Vice President of Sales for 

North, Central and South 

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QUICK LANE 

LEGACY 450 

SPREADS ITS WINGS OVER EUROPEAN SKIES 

JET AVIATION VIENNA 

RECEIVES EASA APPROVAL 

FOR GULFSTREAM GV-SP 

Jet Aviation Vienna received authorization 

from the European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) to provide line maintenance to the 

series of GV-SP aircraft which includes the 

Gulfstream G550. The company also provides 

line and base maintenance and AOG services 

to the Cessna Citation series and Bombardier 

Challenger 300 aircraft, as well as line maintenance 

services to Bombardier Learjet and 

Global 5000 aircraft. 

WEST STAR AVIATION 

ANNOUNCES APPROVAL BY CAAC 

West Star Aviation announced that their Grand Junction, CO 

location has been approved by the Civil Aviation Administration 

of China (CAAC). West Star’s Grand Junction location is now in 

compliance with the China Civil Aviation Regulation (CCAR)- 

Part 145 Maintenance Organization. The purpose of the approval 

includes repairing landing gear for business aircraft and also 

specialized service of Ultrasonic, Eddy Current X-Ray, Liquid 

Penetrate and Magnetic Particle Inspection. 

Embraer Executive Jets’ Legacy 450 is spreading its wings over 

European skies. The first EASA-registered aircraft is based in 

Brussels, Belgium, under the management of Smart Air SA. The 

new mid-light business jet is available for charter and will be 

operated by ASL. The Legacy 450 has received certification from 

the aeronautical authorities of Brazil, the United States and the 

European Union. 

EMBRAER DELIVERS FIRST LEGACY 500 TO 

CHINA'S LAUNCH CUSTOMER JACKIE CHAN 

Embraer has announced that Jackie Chan, a worldrenowned 

movie star, became the first customer in China 

to take delivery of a Legacy 500. "The Legacy 500 features 

our best-to-date technologies and it incorporates designs 

that maximize passenger comfort and fuel efficiency," said 

Marco Tulio Pellegrini, President & CEO, Embraer 

Executive Jets. "I'm so thrilled to receive this Legacy 500, a 

state-of-art executive jet," said Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan's 

connection with Embraer Executive Jets dates to 2012, 

when he received an Embraer Legacy 650 as China's 

launch customer and became Embraer's brand ambassador. 


olls-royce.com 

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liquidity, Rolls-Royce is proud to offer CorporateCare. 

To find out more contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President 

– Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email 

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QUICK LANE 

TAG AVIATION LE BOURGET 

MAINTENANCE CENTER NOW AN AUTHORIZED 

ROCKWELL COLLINS DEALER 

TAG Aviation’s Maintenance Service Center located at Le Bourget 

Airport in Paris has announced it has become an Authorized 

Business and Regional Systems (BRS) Dealer following a new 

cooperation with Rockwell Collins. TAG Aviation Le Bourget is 

now authorized to promote and sell a wide range of the leading 

US manufacturer’s products including Venue cabin management 

and entertainment solution, an interactive Airshow® moving map 

and Tailwind® airborne satellite TV as well as other avionics system 

solutions. 

StandardAero LAUNCHES PT6A FASTLANE 

“TM” ENGINE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM 

HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY BEGINS 

HONDAJET DELIVERIES 

Honda Aircraft Company announced on Dec. 23 that 

it has begun deliveries of the HondaJet, the world's 

most advanced light jet. The company has delivered 

the first aircraft at its world headquarters in 

Greensboro, North Carolina. This milestone follows 

final type certification from the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), which the HondaJet received 

on Dec. 8. Honda Aircraft Company CEO 

Michimasa Fujino said: "We are very excited to commence 

deliveries of the HondaJet, fulfilling Honda's 

commitment to advancing human mobility through 

innovation." 

StandardAero CERTIFIES ROCKWELL COLLINS 

TCAS 7.1 - TTR-4100 SYSTEM 

Working in conjunction with Rockwell Collins, StandardAero’s 

Springfield, Illinois business aviation MRO facility, has completed 

its first Rockwell Collins TTR-4100 TCAS 7.1 Supplemental 

Type Certificate (STC) for a Falcon 50EX aircraft. This new 

TTR-4100 TCAS processor incorporates new 7.1 logic that 

enhances crew awareness of traffic situations and allows either 

aircraft to issue resolution advisory reversals in the event an 

approaching aircraft does not follow ATC or TCAS instructions 

to avoid a conflict. 

JET AVIATION 

DEVELOPS COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING 

CAPABILITIES TO SUPPORT PRO LINE 21 

Jet Aviation Basel has installed two Rockwell Collins Pro Line 

21 Avionic upgrades: one on a Dassault Falcon 2000, the other 

on a Dassault Falcon 2000EX. The company has also developed 

a Pro Line 21 support kit to reduce expected downtime of such 

installations to six weeks. The Pro Line 21 support kit is based 

on modern instrument panels and cable looms that can be customized 

to the various aircraft types supported by Jet Aviation 

Basel’s in-house shops. 

StandardAero has launched a 

new, customized accelerated 

response program to support 

PT6A turboprop engine operators 

with hot section inspections, 

repairs and on-site field services. 

This new program titled “PT6A 

FASTLANE” includes but is 

not limited to, on-wing inspections 

by a certified StandardAero 

Field Service Representative 

(FSR), Service Center support 

and OEM approved repairs. 

Primary engine models for the 

FASTLANE program include 

PT6A-41/-42/-60A/-114A/-135A. 


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TEXTRON REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER 2015 INCOME 

GENERAL DYNAMICS 

REPORTS 

FOURTH-QUARTER, 

FULL-YEAR 2015 RESULTS 

Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) has reported fourth 

quarter 2015 income from continuing operations 

of $0.81 per share, up 6.6 percent from 

$0.76 per share in the fourth quarter of 2014. 

Revenues in the quarter were $3.9 billion, 

down 4.2 percent compared to $4.1 billion in 

the fourth quarter of 2014. Textron segment 

profit in the quarter was $378 million, down 

$20 million from the fourth quarter of 2014. 

Fourth quarter manufacturing cash flow 

before pension contributions was $534 million 

compared to $449 million during last 

year's fourth quarter. 

"We had good execution in the quarter with 

margin improvements at Aviation, Systems 

and Industrial and solid double digit margins 

at Bell," said Textron Chairman and 

CEO Scott C. Donnelly. "While overall revenues 

were down in the quarter, we were 

encouraged by continued strong demand at 

Industrial, the ramp-up of our new Latitude 

business jet and the positive customer 

reception to our new Longitude and 

Hemisphere jets announced during 

November's National Business Aviation 

Association Exhibition." 

Full-year income from continuing operations 

was $2.50 per share, compared to $2.15 in 

2014. Full-year 2015 manufacturing cash flow 

before pension contributions was $631 million 

compared to $753 million in 2014. 

Outlook 

Textron is forecasting 2016 revenues of 

approximately $14.3 billion, up six percent, 

and earnings per share from continuing 

operations in the range of $2.60 to $2.80. 

The company is estimating cash flow from 

continuing operations of the manufacturing 

group before pension contributions will be 

between $600 and $700 million with planned 

pension contributions of about $60 million. 

Donnelly continued, "Our outlook for 2016 

reflects the success of our strategy of investing 

in both new product development and 

acquisitions. As we look to the future, we 

remain committed to making investments to 

drive growth and shareholder value." 

Fourth Quarter Segment Results 

Textron Aviation 

Revenues at Textron Aviation were down 

$32 million, primarily reflecting lower King 

Air and used pre-owned aircraft volumes 

partially offset by higher jet volume. 

Textron Aviation delivered 60 new jets and 

33 King Airs in the quarter, compared to 55 

jets and 41 King Airs in last year's fourth 

quarter. 

Textron Aviation recorded a segment profit 

of $138 million in the fourth quarter compared 

to $130 million a year ago. The 

increase is primarily due to improved performance, 

which included lower amortization 

of $8 million related to fair value step-up 

adjustments, partially offset by the impact of 

lower volumes. 

Textron Aviation backlog at the end of the 

fourth quarter was $1.1 billion, down $308 

million from the end of the third quarter. 

Bell 

Bell revenues decreased $36 million, primarily 

the result of lower commercial aftermarket 

volume and a change in mix of commercial 

aircraft delivered in the quarter partially 

offset by higher military deliveries. 

Bell delivered 8 V-22's and 9 H-1's in the 

quarter compared to 7 V-22's and 7 H-1's in 

last year's fourth quarter and 56 commercial 

helicopters compared to 57 units last year. 

Segment profit decreased $22 million, primarily 

due to unfavorable impact from the 

change in the mix of commercial aircraft 

delivered in the quarter and the lower commercial 

aftermarket volume partially offset 

by favorable performance. 

Bell backlog at the end of the fourth quarter 

was $5.2 billion, up $76 million from the end 

of the third quarter. 

$ 

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) has 

reported fourth-quarter 2015 earnings 

from continuing operations of $764 million, 

a 3.7 percent increase over fourthquarter 

2014, on revenue of $7.8 billion. 

Diluted earnings per share from continuing 

operations were $2.40 compared to 

$2.19 in the year-ago quarter, a 9.6 percent 

increase. 

Full-year Results 

Full-year earnings from continuing operations 

rose to $3 billion from $2.7 billion in 

2014, a 10.9 percent increase. Diluted 

earnings per share from continuing operations 

were up 16 percent at $9.08 compared 

to $7.83 in 2014. Revenue for 2015 

was up 2 percent, to $31.5 billion. 

“General Dynamics had another recordsetting 

year of financial performance, with 

operating earnings, margins, earnings 


from continuing operations, EPS and 

return on sales at the highest levels in the 

company’s history,” said Phebe 

Novakovic, chairman and chief executive 

officer. “We have a healthy and stable 

backlog with the defense businesses executing 

on recent program wins, and 

Aerospace’s backlog is growing year-overyear 

reflecting strong order activity 

throughout 2015. 

“Over the past 36 months, this management 

team has demonstrated the value of 

focusing on operations, managing the 

business for cash and earnings, and growing 

return on invested capital. The company’s 

accomplishments in 2015 illustrate 

the strength of our approach and support 

our commitment to disciplined growth.” 

Revenue 

Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 

was $7.8 billion. For the full year of 2015, 

revenue was $31.5 billion, a 2 percent 

increase compared to 2014. The 

Aerospace and Marine Systems groups 

increased revenue in 2015, with Marine 

Systems growing by more than 9 percent. 

Margin 

Company-wide operating margin for 

fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 was 13.3 

percent. Margins grew 50 basis points 

over the fourth quarter of 2014 and 70 

basis points for the full year, with expansion 

in Aerospace, Combat Systems and 

Information Systems and Technology during 

the year. 

Cash 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

for the full year totaled $2.5 billion. Free 

cash flow from operations, defined as net 

cash provided by operating activities less 

capital expenditures, was $1.9 billion for 

the year. 

Backlog 

General Dynamics’ total backlog at the 

end of 2015 was $66.1 billion. It was 

another strong quarter for the Aerospace 

group, with order activity in each of the 

Gulfstream products and across their 

global market. The estimated potential 

contract value, representing management’s 

estimate of value in unfunded 

indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity 

(IDIQ) contracts and unexercised 

options, was $24.5 billion. Total potential 

contract value, the sum of all backlog 

components, was $90.6 billion at the end 

of the year. 

$ 

JSSI SEES BUSINESS AVIATION SOARING IN 2015 

JSSI Business Aviation Index Suggests 

Small Cabin Aircraft Use Spearheads 

Growth 

JSSI has released its Q3 2015 Business 

Aviation Index, which tracks flight hours 

for business aircraft by region, industry 

and cabin type. According to JSSI’s Q3 

2015 Business Aviation Index, global 

flight hours grew 4.3% Quarter-over- 

Quarter (QoQ). By percentage of peak 

usage – JSSI concluded business aviation 

is now operating at 80.7% of the sector’s 

2008 peak levels. 

“Q2 2015’s flight activity is, on the whole, 

indicative of volatility in the global business 

aviation markets,” said Neil Book, 

JSSI’s President and Chief Executive 

Officer. “The decline in oil prices has had 

a negative impact on the helicopter sector 

which supports offshore operations 

and flight hours in the Middle East. 

Stable economic conditions in North 

America and Europe are reflected in both 

QoQ and YoY flight hour growth. 

Despite this growth, third quarter business 

aviation is still well behind -2008 levels.” 

JSSI Index: By Aircraft Type 

Segmenting flight hour data by aircraft 

type reveals medium and small cabin aircraft, 

the primary choice of aircraft by 

midsize companies, were this quarter’s 

biggest growth areas, as both maintained 

positive YoY gains in flight hours. 

“As the U.S. economy remains strong and 

fuel prices remain low, owner/operators 

are flying small cabin aircraft more, as 

are midsize companies looking for both 

access and flexibility,” continued Mr. 

Book. 

JSSI Index: By Region 

From Q2 2015 to Q3 2015, business aviation 

grew across nearly every market. 

Africa outpaced expectations as it experienced 

the largest QoQ increase in over 

one year. 

Noting the African rebound, Book stated, 

“Many foreign investors remain bullish 

on growth prospects for the region and 

continue to utilize business aviation to 

Aircraft Type Helicopter Large Cabin Medium Cabin Small Cabin 

QoQ Change -0.3% 0.9% 2.2% 8.8% 

YoY Change -15.0% -5.0% 3.7% 8.2% 

Region Africa Asia-Pacific C. America Europe Mid. East N. America S. America 

QoQ Change 24.5% -0.2% 3.0% 9.3% 4.6% 2.3% 9.1% 

YoY Change 12.5% 0.7% 12.9% 0.5% -12.1% 1.7% -9.7% 

access areas difficult to reach using the 

airlines. The strong growth also represents 

a rebound from a historically tough 

2014, due to the unprecedented 2014 

Ebola outbreak.” 

“South America’s -9.7% decline in YOY 

flight activity reflects the weak overall 

state of the region’s principle economies, 

which the IMF predicts will enter a 

recession later this year,” remarked 

Book. 

$ 

BART: MARCH - APRIL 2016 - 23

ON THE MOVE 

PEOPLE 

Duncan Aviation recently 

named Lee Bowes the company’s 

Central United States 

Regional Manager. In this new 

Lee Bowes 

position, Bowes will help business 

aircraft operators in the 

central part of the United States, 

including Colorado, Iowa, 

Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, 

Nebraska, North Dakota, South 

Dakota and Wyoming and 

become more familiar with the 

comprehensive service capabilities 

offered by Duncan Aviation. 

These services include airframe 

and engine maintenance, paint 

and interior refurbishment, 

avionics installations, repair, 

engine and airframe AOG assistance, 

aircraft sales and acquisition, 

and parts support. 

Puja Mahajan has been 

appointed as CEO of Elit’Avia, 

succeeding Michel Coulomb. 

Puja Mahajan 

David Opalach 

As CEO, Puja will lead 

Elit’Avia’s continued success as 

one of the world’s foremost aircraft 

charter, management and 

travel services providers. 

Michel Coulomb, Chairman of 

the Board now, said, “In just 

over two years as Chief 

Operating Officer with Elit’Avia, 

Puja has made tremendous 

contributions to the company’s 

growth. We are delighted that 

she has accepted her new role 

to lead the company onto even 

greater successes.” 

FlightSafety International has 

also announced that Luiz 

Hamilton Lima has joined the 

company as airline training 

Sales Manager for Europe, the 

Middle East and Africa. Luiz 

joins FlightSafety from 

Embraer after more than 35 

years with the company. “Our 

current and prospective airline 

Customers in Europe, the 

Middle East and Africa will benefit 

from Luiz’s knowledge, 

experience and commitment to 

provide the very best service 

and training solutions that meet 

their individual needs,” said 

Steve Gross, Vice President, 

Sales. 

Another news from 

FlightSafety International is 

the promotion of Steve Gross 

to the position of Senior Vice 

President, Commercial. He is 

now responsible for 

FlightSafety’s business aviation 

and regional airline training 

sales activities worldwide. He 

was most recently Vice 

President, Sales. “Steve is most 

deserving of this promotion to 

Senior Vice President, 

Commercial. Our Customers 

around the world appreciate 

and value Steve’s ability to 

develop and tailor solutions that 

meet their specific needs,” said 

Bruce Whitman, Chairman, 

President & CEO. 

David Opalach has also been 

named Assistant Manager of 

the FlightSafety International’s 

Learning Center in 

Wilmington, Delaware. The 

Wilmington Learning Center 

offers a wide variety of training 

programs for pilots, maintenance 

technicians, and flight 

attendants and Opalach will be 

responsible for the training 

operations and simulations that 

are carried out in the center. 

David most recently served as 

the Director of Quality 

Management Systems and as 

the point of contact for all 

courseware development at the 

Wilmington Learning Center. 

Gama Aviation has appointed 

Lorrissa Lippi as Marketing 

and Media Coordinator to help 

further develop its marketing 

efforts in the US. Lorrissa will 

report to Duncan Daines, 

Group Chief Marketing Officer, 

and Johnny Griggs, Brand 

Manager, and will be responsible 

for new business and event 

support, as well as developing 

digital content for each US location 

and assisting in the expansion 

of marketing strategies. 

Speaking on her appointment, 

Lorrissa commented: “I hope 

to make a valuable contribution 

to the continued success of 

Gama Aviation.” 

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. 

recently promoted Nicolas 

Robinson to the position of 

regional vice president of new 

aircraft Sales for Africa. 

Robinson, previously the company’s 

director of Product 

Support Sales for Asia Pacific, 

reports to Trevor Esling, 

Gulfstream regional senior vice 

president, International Sales 

for Europe, the Middle East and 

Africa. Robinson is based at the 

Gulfstream Sales and Design 

Nicolas Robinson 

Center in Mayfair, London. A 

19-year veteran of the aviation 

industry, Robinson most recently 

oversaw Gulfstream’s 

Product Support Sales activities 

in Asia Pacific. 

TAG Aviation Europe has 

announced the appointment of 

Daniel Christe as Chief 

Executive Officer of TAG 

Aviation Europe. Welcoming 

his promotion, Mr Christe said: 

“I am very enthusiastic to take 

the lead of TAG Aviation 

Europe which enjoys an unrivalled 

reputation in the business 

aviation industry. I remain 

mindful about the challenges 

ahead in the current difficult 

economic environment but am 

privileged to have beside me 

the dedication and support of a 

very experienced management 

team.” 

West Star Aviation has 

announced that Thomas 

Hilboldt will be the General 

Manager for their newest location 

in Chattanooga, 

Tennessee. Having over 40 

years of experience in aviation, 

Tom will be responsible for 

overseeing all operations of the 

new 40,000-sq.-ft. heated hangar 

and will oversee all maintenance, 

interior, avionics and 

mobile response team services. 

“Tom is respected throughout 

the aviation industry and has 

proven skills that will continue 

to add positive growth for our 

new location,” says, Rodger 

Renaud, Chief Operating 

Officer. 


Join European business leaders, government 

officials, manufacturers, corporate aviation 

department personnel and all those 

involved in business aviation for the 

European Business Aviation Convention 

& Exhibition (EBACE2016). Visit the 

EBACE website to learn more and 

register today. 

REGISTER TODAY: 

www.ebace.aero/bart

TRANSATLANTIC 

EUROPE ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH 

From the Desk of 

Fabio Gamba CEO EBAA 

EUROPEAN AVIATION SUMMIT SHEDS LIGHT ON 

THE CHALLENGES FACING THE AVIATION INDUSTRY 

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT 2016 will be a 

year where air transport gets the 

attention it needs. The year kicked off 

with the much anticipated European 

Aviation Summit where EU 

Commissioner Violeta Bulc formally 

presented her Aviation Strategy to the 

most influential personalities in the 

industry. While industry leaders 

universally agree that European 

transport needs legislative support to 

boost its competitiveness, the specific 

measures outlined in the Aviation 

Strategy have fostered far less 

confidence on the outcomes that the 

strategy is expected to achieve. 

Admittedly, the EU Commissioner 

recognizes that the Aviation Strategy may 

not provide the right tools to help the 

industry moving forward and has called 

upon aviation thought leaders to actively 

engage in conversations with her cabinet 

to find the right balance. The challenge, 

of course, will be for the various 

segments in air transport to align their 

interests and needs so that any 

recommended amendments to the 

Aviation Strategy is reflective of the 

entire value chain. 

More diversity in the dialogue 

on aviation needs 

So with the diversity of interests within 

the air transport industry being the 

potential barrier, what does it mean for 

smaller segments such as Business 

Aviation? Notably, it means that the 

European Commission must ensure that 

there is a fairer representation of voices 

at the table. Surprisingly, the three 

panels that were offered at the 

European Aviation Summit only included 

the likes of mainstream airlines and 

larger commercial organisations – such 

as Lufthansa, Ryanair, EasyJet, and the 

Aeroports de Paris. But the absence of 

other players in the industry could not 

be more obvious. If we are to 

successfully implement an Aviation 

Strategy that truly delivers on the needs 

of the industry, we must open the 

dialogue to a wider net of actors to 

ensure that we do not marginalize any 

of the air transport’s sectors, one that is 

an important provider of internal 

connectivity such as Business Aviation at 

that. 

Promoting greater awareness 

of the value of Business Aviation 

In preparation of the continuing debate 

on the Aviation Strategy, the EBAA is 

proud to announce the release of an 

independent study on the impact of 

Business Aviation to the European 

economy. The study provides the hard 

facts that helps policymakers to 

understand the broader value of 

Business Aviation in terms of its 

contribution to Europe’s gross value add 

(GVA) and the number of jobs that it has 

created. 


EUROPE 

Interestingly, the study not only reveals 

that Business Aviation accounts for 

nearly half a million jobs but also 

generates close to EUR 100 billion in 

revenues. Equally important is the 

sector’s added benefit of connectivity – 

serving more than 25 000 airport pairs 

that are not connected by non-stop 

commercial flights. By offering seamless 

service to distant and remote regions 

across Europe, Business Aviation offers 

greater access to destinations that do 

not have the benefit of a commercial 

hub to sustain local business activity. 

With this in mind, it is now up to the 

European Commission to ensure that it 

also includes measures in its Aviation 

Strategy that help the sector to continue 

its positive contributions to regional 

economies. 

Advancing the perception 

of Business Aviation 

Alongside the Secretariat’s efforts to 

raise awareness of the economic 

benefits of Business Aviation, EBAA will 

also continue to tackle the issue of 

perception. It is no secret that public 

opinion of Business Aviation has also 

proved to be a challenge for the sector – 

often being associated with high costs 

and elitism. In 2015, the EBAA decided 

to conduct a formal study that helped 

the Secretariat to get behind the core 

issues influencing public perception and 

to identify opportunities to advance 

those perceptions. The findings of the 

study have shown that: 

❍ The more educated stakeholders are 

about Business Aviation, the better their 

perception of the sector 

❍ Stakeholders value Bizav as a 

necessary and useful tool but struggle 

with its perceived elitism and high costs 

❍ Stakeholders attribute a low 

performance to the sector on the 

environmental and economic fronts 

Over the course of 2016, EBAA will work 

with partners in the industry to carve 

out specific programs and initiatives that 

address these three fronts. 

In summary, 2016 will be an exciting 

year for the air transport industry, and 

Business Aviation in particular. 

Fortunately, we have the tools in place 

to help us make a real difference. That is 

the aim. 

ALT 

You asked. We acted. 

Business aircraft operators have always wanted 

the best in safety and efficiency. It was no different 

in the 1960s. As new cockpit and system technology 

emerged, those who had purchased Bonanzas, 

King Airs, Barons and even Learjets without it were 

interested in having their aircraft upgraded. Donald 

Duncan operated Duncan Aviation, an aircraft sales 

and support facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. He listened 

to their wishes. And in 1966, he acted by hiring Don 

Fiedler, an electronics engineer, as the company’s 17th 

employee. His job was to install and repair avionics 

equipment for a variety of business aircraft. 

Decades later, Duncan Aviation is still providing 

operators with the best in avionics and instrument repair 

and avionics upgrades. And we still take our founder’s 

cue. We listen to customer wishes and respond by 

developing and providing experience, unlike any other. 

www.DuncanAviation.aero/60 

✈ 

Experience. Unlike any other.

TRANSATLANTIC 

U.S.A. ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH 

NBAA HELPS REPRESENT 

INDUSTRY CONCERNS AS EASA WORKS 

TO HARMONIZE PROCESSES 

From the Desk of 

Ed Bolen NBAA 

President and CEO 

28 - BART: MARCH - APRIL 2016 

THROUGHOUT 2016, NBAA will 

continue working, alongside the 

European Business Aviation Association 

(EBAA) and other stakeholder groups, 

before the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) and other regulatory 

agencies to ensure that business 

aviation operators continue to operate 

safely and efficiently – and under a 

regulatory regime that is as workable 

as possible – when traveling in the 

European Union (EU). As always, part 

of our work in this area also includes 

educating member companies with 

NBAA and other associations about the 

latest European operating 

requirements and procedures. 

For example, beginning in late 

November of this year, Part 135 air 

carrier operators planning to fly into the 

EU and its related territories will need 

prior authorization through the new 

EASA Third-Country Operator (TCO) 

program intended to enhance safety, 

and reduce foreign operators' 

administrative requirements when flying 

to multiple European countries. 

A couple of issues that initially 

concerned business aircraft operators 

about TCO have been resolved. One 

potential issue involved requirements 

issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) for flight data 

recorders (FDR), which are different 

from EASA's requirements. NBAA also 

expressed concern that EASA safety 

management system (SMS) stipulations 

in that process were more restrictive, 

perhaps unduly so, than the FAA's 

requirement, which only applies to Part 

121 air carriers and not to business 

aircraft. 

Already in effect, as of Dec. 1, 2015, is 

an EASA requirement that all aircraft 

above 5,700 kilograms (12,500 pounds) 

maximum certified takeoff mass 

(MCTM) be equipped with Airborne 

Collision Avoidance System II (ACAS) 

version 7.1. 

Understandably, these issues raised 

concerns that non-European operators 

could be flagged for noncompliance with 

these dictates during Safety Assessment 

of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) inspections. 

Because the TCO requirements are 

based on International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO) standards – and 

there are some key differences between 

ICAO and FAA regulations, such as SMS 

implementation – some U.S. operators 

have raised concerns that are being 

addressed by NBAA. 

These discussions have already resulted 

in reasonable compromises. For 

example, EASA told TCO applicants in 

December 2015, "after analysis of the

prevailing FDR equipage situation 

worldwide, taking due 

consideration of corresponding EU 

regulations, the problem size, the 

direct effects on the safe conduct 

of flight, as well as technical 

feasibility and economic impact of 

retrofit, for the purpose of TCO 

authorization EASA will not require 

third-country operators to change 

their existing FDR equipment in 

order to establish compliance ... 

and will accept already-installed 

FDR equipment on aircraft with an 

individual certificate of 

airworthiness first issued before 26 

November 2016." 

That said, compliance with EASA's 

application of ICAO Annex 6 flight 

data analysis program 

requirements, "remains fully 

applicable for the purpose of TCO 

authorization" for all aircraft in 

excess of 27,000 kilograms (60,000 

pounds) MCTM, which has been a 

requirement for EU-registered 

aircraft since October 2014. 

Commercial and non-commercial 

business aircraft operators should 

also be prepared for random ramp 

inspections, which may include a 

check to make sure their traffic 

alert and collision avoidance 

system (TCAS) meets the new 7.1 

standard. 

As EASA works to better harmonize 

safety regulations across Europe, 

the agency aims to replace 

sometimes-inconsistent schemes of 

individual states with a more 

centralized and ideally 

performance- and risk-based 

approach. 

New requirements for TCO, ACAS 

7.1, SMS, and other rules for noncommercial 

operators are just a few 

of the effects on business aviation 

from Europe's evolving aviation 

regulations. NBAA will remain 

actively engaged in this process to 

ensure that our industry’s concerns 

are properly represented and 

addressed, not only for U.S.-based 

operators, but for those utilizing 

business aviation from around the 

globe. 

✈ 

THE 2016 National Business Aviation 

Association (NBAA) Schedulers & Dispatchers 

Conference (SDC2016) concluded Friday, Jan. 

22 at the Tampa Convention Center with a 

record 2,800-plus attendees and a record 517 

exhibitors taking part in the annual 

conference, which included dozens of 

innovative education sessions, various 

networking events and ample opportunities to 

give back to the local community. 

“We strive to enhance the attendee and 

exhibitor experience each year and, as a result, 

more and more people understand this is the 

place to be," said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s vice 

president of operational excellence and 

professional development. "Schedulers and 

dispatchers are the buyers and they are 

empowered to come here and make choices, 

while gaining valuable skills and knowledge 

through robust education sessions." 

SDC2016 included many new features, most 

notably an increased focus on humanitarian 

efforts in support of the host city by holding a 

food packing event for Feeding America 

Tampa Bay. About 200 conference attendees 

volunteered time to pack 800 bags of food so 

needy children and their families would have 

food for the weekend. Additionally, this was 

the sixth year the conference collected gently 

used business clothes for local charities. This 

year, a total of 4,379 garments were collected, 

breaking last year's record of 1,500 items. 

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen also took 

the opportunity to talk to attendees about the 

upcoming FAA reauthorization bill, which 

when introduced next month, is expected to 

include a call for privatizing air traffic control 

with user fees. 

Calling it an "imminent battle," Bolen urged 

SDC2016 attendees to contact lawmakers 

urging them to vote against the plan, adding 

they could use NBAA's online Contact 

Congress resource to easily make their voice 

heard. "It's a tremendous opportunity we have 

to make our views known," he said. "We need 

all of you to be active and engaged in this 

process. The future of business aviation is at 

stake." 

Other new and expanded features of the 

conference included: 

❍ A unique approach to learning with 

innovative concepts, such as session 

rooms configured to inspire engagement 

TRANSATLANTIC 

/U.S.A. 

NBAA'S 2016 SCHEDULERS & DISPATCHERS 

CONFERENCE BREAKS RECORDS 

and provide a more intimate and inclusive 

setting for professional development. 

❍ Two opening general session speakers 

who spoke to the conference theme – 

"unlock your potential." On Jan. 19, bestselling 

author and entrepreneur Ty 

Bennett discussed leadership, and on Jan. 

20, Bob Hobbi, President and CEO of 

ServiceElements International, facilitated 

realistic scenarios demonstrating 

challenges that schedulers and dispatchers 

experience in the workplace. 

❍ For the second year, a third full day of 

education sessions as offered on a widerange 

of topics – from surviving audits to 

regulatory compliance and international 

operations to technology challenges. 

"Professional development is a 

cornerstone of the Schedulers & 

Dispatchers Conference, and we are 

continually striving to understand how our 

attendees want to learn and listening to 

their feedback and then trying to adapt to 

that," said Jo Damato, NBAA's director of 

educational development and strategy. 

"This conference is going into its 28th year 

and we don't ever want to be a 

conference that looks the way it did 28 

years ago or even five years ago. We are 

always moving forward and always looking 

at what can attendees get from this event 

that improves their professional 

development " 

Dozens of scholarships also were awarded 

at SDC2016, with thousands of dollars in 

monetary and training scholarships 

presented to dozens of individuals. 

Additionally, Dorette Kerr, a former chair 

of the S&D Committee, received the 

association’s Schedulers & Dispatchers 

Outstanding Achievement & Leadership 

Award. 

"The conference went great, we had a lot 

of positive feedback from attendees about 

the event," said SDC2016 Chair Eve 

Gregory, with C&S Wholesale Grocers, 

noting that it takes hundreds of volunteers 

to make the conference a success each 

year. "The organizing committee did a 

remarkable job – it was apparent in the 

exhibit hall, in the session rooms and in 

everything that they planned. I'm so proud 

of the conference they produced." 

✈ 


FLEET REPORT 

GROWTH SPURT 

The Business Aviation 

industry has always been 

innovative, but now it’s 

showing resilience as well. 

Despite a rough economic 

and political year in 2015, 

Business Aviation 

defied the odds. 

Busra Ozturk presents our 

annual Fleet Overview Report, 

analyzing and comparing 2015 

figures provided by JetNet 

EFFICIENT 

Companies rely 

on Business 

Aviation to 

outperform the 

competition. 

B 

ART’s exclusive 2015 Fleet 

Report shows that the global 

Business Aviation fleet grew 

from 34,755 aircraft in 2014 to 35,682 

in 2015. That’s a 2.7% growth rate, up 

from 2.3% the year before. This is a 

strong indication of growing optimism 

in the Business Aviation industry, 

but it remains to be seen how well 

this will translate into reality in 

today’s economic climate. 

This may seem like a bold statement, 

but we’re not alone. According 

to a survey by JetNet, 62% of aircraft 

owners and operators believe the 

industry has passed the low point in 

the current business cycle and is on 

an upward trajectory. The responses 

were the most positive the company 

has received since it started the quarterly 

survey in 2010. 

Unfortunately, this level of optimism 

is shared equally across all regions, 

nor is it universal with all forecasters. 

Optimism is strongest in North 

America, where 73% of respondents 

say the market is on an upswing, 

while it is weakest in Latin America 

and the Caribbean, where respondents 

are split on whether the industry 

has hit the low point or has farther 

to fall. In Europe, approximately half 

of those who responded believe the 

market is on the rise, while roughly 

one third say it is still at the low point 

of the cycle. 

Turning to the general naysayers, 

the 24th annual Global Business 

Aviation Outlook report from 

Honeywell forecasts up to 9,200 new 

business jet deliveries worth $270 billion 

from 2015 to 2025. That’s a three 

to five-percent reduction over the 

value noted in its 2014 forecast. With 

Brazil in recession, and the Middle 

East and Russia suffering from low oil 

prices, weak currencies, and sanctions, 

the report says it will take time 

to secure the uptick in business aircraft 

sales. 

Looking ahead through 2016, 

Honeywell Business and General 

Aviation President Brian Sill said he 

expects similar delivery levels as the 

industry transitions to new models 

amid a shifting international economic 

outlook. While last year the forecast 

projected an increase in business 

jet deliveries, this year it expects 

deliveries to decrease slightly, reflecting 

a weaker demand from emerging 

markets partially offset by deliveries 

to fractional operators. 

But let’s get into the details and you 

can decide for yourself! 

Established Markets 

When looking at the Fleet Report by 

continent, much of the good news 

comes from the United States, where 

the Business Aviation fleet grew by 

3.5% last year, from 19,229 units to 

19,894. The US holds about half of the 

total business aircraft in the world, 

and has long been the backbone of 

the Bizav industry. This is partly 

because many large aircraft manufacturers 

are US-owned companies, and 

those that aren’t often still have plants 

in the United States, as manufacturing 

in the US reduces their shipping 

distances and costs significantly. 

According to a 2015 Gama Aviation 

study, the United States is home to 50% 

of the world’s total business aircraft. 

That’s about 23,582 aircraft. Between 

2010 and 2014, 2,774 business aircraft 

were delivered to the US, which is 47% 


TOP TEN BUSINESS 

FLEETS BY COUNTRY 

United States . . . . . . . . . . 19894 

Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1611 

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335 

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1305 

Venezuela . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764 

Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637 

Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . 517 

South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 

positive territory. In fact, the only 

decline observed in last year’s fleet data 

comes from Europe, where there was a 

decline of 2.5%, or from 3,902 to 3,803. 

According to a report from Victor, 

an online charter specialist, Germany, 

the UK and France are the three 

biggest markets across the UK, 

Europe and Russia. The three combined 

account for almost half of all 

European movements. Growth in the 

UK and Ireland is continuous, and 

despite a weak economy, private jet 

travel remains steady in France. 

The growing strength of the US dollar, 

the currency for most business jet 

pricing, could have some effect on 

sales in the European market. There is 

of the global total. US dominance of 

mid-to-large size jets is even stronger, 

accounting for 52% of the global fleet. 

“The US Business Aviation market 

is by far the biggest in the world, and 

very dynamic,” says Gama Aviation 

CEO and President Tom Connelly. “It 

consists of over 23,500 aircraft, and 

we estimate that between 2010 and 

2014, as many as 46 business aircraft 

were being delivered every month, 

partly fueled by market innovations.” 

According to JetNet, the length of 

jet ownership has risen from 3.7 years 

in 2005, to 5.1 years in 2015. Owners 

of pre-owned jets are keeping them in 

use for 3.2 years, which is on average 

a year longer than in 2005. 

Replacement is expected to account 

for 70% of new business jet demand in 

the North American market in coming 

years. JetNet survey respondents 

who said there’s a ‘strong likelihood’ 

that they will buy a new jet within a 

year are looking at smaller cabins. 

According to Honeywell though, 

larger-cabin aircraft, ranging from 

super mid-size through ultra-longrange 

jets, remain the primary focus 

of operators. These aircraft are 

expected to account for more than 

80% of all spending on new business 

jets in the near term. According to the 

Honeywell report, 52% of new purchases 

will be large cabin jets, while 

23% will be midsize, with the remaining 

25% being small cabin types. 

Though the European Business 

Aviation market made a strong start to 

2015 with an increased number of 

flights and business jet deliveries in 

Western Europe, the gain wasn’t 

enough to push full-year results into 

REGIONAL DEMAND 

FOR NEW JETS IN NEXT 5 YEARS 

PURCHASE PLANS 

BY AIRCRAFT CLASS 

some good news, however, such as 

diminished fuel prices. But regardless, 

challenges still exists in Europe, mainly 

the Ukraine crisis and the 2017 UK- 

EU referendum. Overall, the report 

showed cyclical recovery, but weak 

growth due to cautious customers. 

A 2015 review released by the 

EBAA suggests that despite economic 

challenges, the European 

fleet of Business Aviation aircraft 

continues to climb. There are telltale 

signs that Business Aviation is 

experiencing difficulties to grow at 

major mixed-mode airports for a 

number of reasons, and this feeds 

into the major trend that the top-10 

European airport list is currently 

going through a reshuffle and will 

look different in the years to come. 

Other major sector indicators relate 

to operating costs include the lower- 

LEADING 

The US still 

boasts the 

world’s largest 

Business 

Aviation fleet. 


JET SUMMARY BY MODEL AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2015 

MFG/MODEL TOTAL EUROPE 

AIRBUS A310-200 2 2 

AIRBUS A310-300 17 9 

AIRBUS A320-200 46 4 

AIRBUS A330-200 4 1 

AIRBUS A340-200 7 0 

AIRBUS A340-300X 2 2 

AIRBUS A340-500 4 1 

AIRBUS A340-600 4 1 

AIRBUS ACJ318 18 4 




ASTRA 1125 30 0 

ASTRA 1125SP 33 0 

ASTRA 1125SPX 56 2 

AVRO RJ-70 1 1 

BAC 1-11 4 0 

BAE 146-100 6 4 

BAE 146-200 2 0 

BEECHJET 400 50 1 

BEECHJET 400A 298 17 

BOEING 707-120B 3 0 

BOEING 707-320 7 1 

BOEING 707-320B 10 1 

BOEING 707-320C 18 2 

BOEING 727-100 35 1 

BOEING 727-200 1 0 

BOEING 727-200 ADVANCED 18 3 

BOEING 737-200 4 0 

BOEING 737-200 ADVANCED 14 2 

BOEING 737-300 9 3 

BOEING 737-400 2 0 

BOEING 737-500 6 1 

BOEING 737-700 3 0 

BOEING 737-700C 9 0 

BOEING 737-800 26 2 

BOEING 747-200B 2 0 

BOEING 747-300 1 0 

BOEING 747-400 6 0 

BOEING 747-400M 2 0 

BOEING 747-8I 4 1 

BOEING 747SP 9 1 

BOEING 757-200 16 1 

BOEING 767-200 1 0 

BOEING 767-200ER 9 1 

BOEING 767-300ER 5 1 

BOEING 777-200 1 0 

BOEING 777-200ER 2 0 

BOEING 777-200LR 1 0 

BOEING 787-8 5 1 

BOEING 787-9 1 0 

BOEING BBJ 125 17 

BOEING BBJ2 21 5 

BOEING BBJ3 6 0 

BOMBARDIER CRJ100 5 1 

BOMBARDIER CRJ200 13 3 

CHALLENGER 300 449 53 



CHALLENGER 601-1A 48 1 

CHALLENGER 601-3A 127 11 

CHALLENGER 601-3R 57 1 








CITATION 500 232 24 

CITATION 525 346 68 

CITATION BRAVO 327 40 

CITATION CJ1 191 31 

CITATION CJ1+ 102 31 






CITATION ENCORE 163 5 

CITATION ENCORE+ 64 3 

CITATION EXCEL 360 29 

CITATION I 23 7 

CITATION I/SP 284 26 

CITATION II 550 51 

CITATION II/SP 70 15 

CITATION III 184 9 

CITATION LATITUDE 8 0 

CITATION M2 90 8 

CITATION MUSTANG 453 96 

CITATION S/II 148 6 

CITATION SOVEREIGN 344 29 

CITATION SOVEREIGN+ 51 5 

CITATION ULTRA 272 7 

CITATION V 250 7 

CITATION VI 35 2 

CITATION VII 113 10 

CITATION X 305 18 

CITATION X+ 17 0 

CITATION XLS 321 71 

CITATION XLS+ 192 52 

DIAMOND I 2 0 

DIAMOND IA 50 2 

DORNIER 328JET 14 4 

DORNIER ENVOY 3 11 4 

ECLIPSE 550 18 2 

ECLIPSE EA500 255 22 

EMBRAER ERJ-135 2 0 

EMBRAER LEGACY 500 17 0 



EMBRAER LEGACY SHUTTLE 18 1 

EMBRAER LINEAGE 1000 24 1 

EMBRAER PHENOM 100 321 29 

EMBRAER PHENOM 300 296 42 

FALCON 10 113 9 

FALCON 100 30 4 

FALCON 200 25 3 

FALCON 2000 229 30 

FALCON 2000DX 4 0 

FALCON 2000EX 26 6 

FALCON 2000EX EASy 101 31 

FALCON 2000LX 130 32 

FALCON 2000LXS 37 10 

FALCON 2000S 30 7 

FALCON 20C 75 21 

FALCON 20C-5 16 3 

FALCON 20D 26 7 

FALCON 20D-5 1 0 

FALCON 20E 34 13 

FALCON 20E-5 12 4 

FALCON 20F 78 8 

FALCON 20F-5 75 1 

FALCON 20G 5 5 

FALCON 50 233 32 

FALCON 50-40 7 0 


FALCON 7X 235 98 

FALCON 900 174 33 

FALCON 900C 24 4 

FALCON 900DX 23 7 


FALCON 900EX EASy 118 33 

FALCON 900LX 42 13 

FOKKER 100 3 3 

FOKKER 70 1 1 

GLOBAL 5000 184 55 

GLOBAL 6000 149 56 

GLOBAL EXPRESS 143 32 

GLOBAL EXPRESS XRS 152 44 

GULFSTREAM G-100 22 1 











GULFSTREAM G-650ER 45 1 

GULFSTREAM G-II 103 0 

GULFSTREAM G-IIB 30 0 

GULFSTREAM G-III 160 1 

GULFSTREAM G-IV 184 6 

GULFSTREAM G-IVSP 301 10 

GULFSTREAM G-V 189 10 

HAWKER 1000A 44 2 

HAWKER 1000B 6 3 

HAWKER 125-1A 14 1 

HAWKER 125-1AS 8 0 

HAWKER 125-1B 11 9 

HAWKER 125-3A 1 0 

HAWKER 125-3A/RA 6 0 

HAWKER 125-3A/RAS 1 0 

HAWKER 125-3AS 1 0 

HAWKER 125-3B 8 0 

HAWKER 125-3B/RAS 1 0 

HAWKER 125-400A 13 0 

HAWKER 125-400AS 33 1 

HAWKER 125-400B 13 0 

HAWKER 125-400BS 3 0 

HAWKER 125-600A 13 0 

HAWKER 125-600AS 8 1 

HAWKER 125-600B 2 0 

HAWKER 125-600BS 1 0 

HAWKER 125-700A 146 6 

HAWKER 125-700B 24 13 

HAWKER 4000 70 6 

HAWKER 400XP 231 12 

HAWKER 750 48 17 

HAWKER 800A 222 4 

HAWKER 800B 50 10 


HAWKER 800XPI 51 18 



JET COMMANDER 1121 6 0 

JET COMMANDER 1121B 5 0 

JETSTAR 6 2 0 

JETSTAR 731 8 1 

JETSTAR 8 4 0

TURBOPROPS 

JETSTAR II 16 1 

LEARJET 23 10 1 


LEARJET 24A 2 0 

LEARJET 24B 20 0 

LEARJET 24D 51 1 

LEARJET 24E 11 1 

LEARJET 24F 8 0 



LEARJET 25C 10 1 

LEARJET 25D 115 1 

LEARJET 25G 3 0 










LEARJET 40XR 91 5 

LEARJET 45 233 18 




LEARJET 55C 13 0 

LEARJET 60 307 30 




LOCKHEED L-1011-500 1 0 

MDD DC-8-62H 2 1 

MDD DC-8-72 1 1 

MDD DC-9-10 4 0 

MDD DC-9-30 1 0 

MDD MD-81 1 0 

MDD MD-83 2 1 

MDD MD-87 11 1 

NEXTANT 400XT 29 3 

NEXTANT 400XTi 23 4 

PREMIER I 122 16 

PREMIER IA 149 24 

SABRELINER 40 8 2 

SABRELINER 40A 21 0 

SABRELINER 40EL 4 0 

SABRELINER 40R 1 0 



SABRELINER 60AELXM 1 0 

SABRELINER 60EL 2 1 

SABRELINER 60ELXM 24 1 

SABRELINER 60EX 3 0 

SABRELINER 60SCELXM 2 0 




SABRELINER 80SC 5 0 

SYBERJET SJ30-2 3 0 

WESTWIND 1 87 0 




Total Jets 20.459 2.569 

© AVDATA/JETNET 

MFG/MODEL TOTAL EUROPE 

ADAM A500 7 0 

AVANTI II 126 44 

AVANTI P180 96 42 

CARAVAN 208 440 37 

CARAVAN 208B 1.607 91 

CARAVAN 208B EX 209 8 

CHEYENNE 400 39 5 

CHEYENNE I 167 13 

CHEYENNE IA 17 3 

CHEYENNE II 339 39 

CHEYENNE III 72 5 

CHEYENNE IIIA 51 13 

CHEYENNE IIXL 74 6 

CONQUEST I 205 13 

CONQUEST II 308 9 

DE HAVILLAND DHC-2T 50 0 

DE HAVILLAND DHC-3T 82 0 

GULFSTREAM G-I 57 3 

JETSTREAM 31 86 16 



KING AIR 100 44 0 

KING AIR 200 680 48 

KING AIR 200C 31 1 

KING AIR 200T 20 2 

KING AIR 250 122 11 

KING AIR 300 206 3 

KING AIR 300LW 18 6 

KING AIR 350 716 40 

KING AIR 350C 58 6 

KING AIR 350i 250 19 

KING AIR 90 23 1 

KING AIR A/B90 12 0 

KING AIR A100 100 4 



KING AIR A90-1 114 3 

KING AIR B100 116 1 

KING AIR B200 1.080 93 

KING AIR B200C 118 5 

KING AIR B200CT 9 0 

KING AIR B200GT 115 12 

KING AIR B200SE 5 1 

KING AIR B200T 23 1 

KING AIR B90 102 5 

KING AIR C90 419 34 

KING AIR C90-1 40 0 

KING AIR C90A 217 16 

KING AIR C90B 418 22 

KING AIR C90GT 96 3 

KING AIR C90GTi 122 13 

KING AIR C90GTx 140 11 

KING AIR C90SE 16 0 

KING AIR E90 273 12 

KING AIR F90 186 5 

KING AIR F90-1 29 3 

KODIAK 100 141 1 

MERLIN 300 9 2 

MERLIN IIB 33 4 

MERLIN III 26 1 

MERLIN IIIA 34 6 

MERLIN IIIB 54 4 

MERLIN IIIC 23 3 

MERLIN IV 6 1 

MERLIN IV-A 18 3 

MERLIN IV-C 19 5 

MITSUBISHI MARQUISE 85 0 

Jet Fleet 

Europe 12.5% 

World 87.5% 

Turboprop Fleet 

Europe 8.4% 

World 91.6% 

Total Fleet 

Europe 10.8% 

World 89.2% 

MITSUBISHI MU-2C 16 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2D 1 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2F 30 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2G 1 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2J 21 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2K 36 5 

MITSUBISHI MU-2L 12 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2M 19 3 

MITSUBISHI MU-2N 24 0 

MITSUBISHI MU-2P 29 2 

MITSUBISHI MU-2S 17 0 

MITSUBISHI SOLITAIRE 42 2 

PILATUS PC-12 NG 556 83 

PILATUS PC-12/45 567 43 

PILATUS PC-12/47 201 20 

PIPER M500 17 2 

PIPER MALIBU JETPROP 264 65 

PIPER MERIDIAN 538 77 

SOCATA TBM-700A 106 35 

SOCATA TBM-700B 88 14 

SOCATA TBM-700C1 7 3 

SOCATA TBM-700C2 95 9 

SOCATA TBM-850 330 36 

SOCATA TBM-900 84 4 

STARSHIP 2000A 5 1 

TURBO COMMANDER 1000 98 1 


TURBO COMMANDER 690A 177 9 

TURBO COMMANDER 690B 182 5 




Total TurboProp 14.708 1.234 

Grand Total 35.167 3.803 

© AVDATA/JETNET

FLEET REPORT 

NORTH AMERICA 

Country Total Executive* Jet Turb. 

Aruba 7 0 7 0 

Bahamas 31 1 16 14 

Barbados 8 0 7 1 

Belize 21 0 1 20 

Bermuda 17 0 17 0 

Canada 1335 10 524 801 

Cayman Islands 21 0 18 3 

Costa Rica 32 0 9 23 

Dominica 1 1 0 0 

Dominican Republic 54 0 29 25 

El Salvador 8 1 4 3 

Greenland 4 0 0 4 

Guadeloupe 6 0 0 6 

Guatemala 99 0 33 66 

Haiti 8 1 0 7 

Honduras 31 0 6 25 

Jamaica 7 0 5 2 

Mexico 1305 10 890 405 

Netherlands Antilles 5 0 2 3 

Nicaragua 6 0 0 6 

Panama 133 0 51 82 

Puerto Rico 34 0 19 15 

Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 0 1 0 

Saint Vincent-Grenadines 6 0 4 2 

Trinidad and Tobago 3 0 1 2 

Turks and Caicos Islands 4 0 2 2 

United States 19894 94 12301 7499 

Virgin Islands (British) 22 1 17 4 

Virgin Islands (U.S.) 14 0 6 8 

West Indies 1 0 1 0 

Total 23118 119 13971 9028 

EUROPE 


Albania 1 0 1 0 

Austria 210 2 178 30 

Belarus 13 0 13 0 

Belgium 102 2 58 42 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 0 2 0 

Bulgaria 18 1 11 6 

Channel Islands 1 0 0 1 

Croatia 11 0 5 6 

Cyprus 13 0 10 3 

Czech Republic 82 0 47 35 

Denmark 75 0 57 18 

Estonia 20 0 12 8 

Finland 34 0 19 15 

France 410 7 213 190 

Germany 637 8 400 229 

Gibraltar 1 0 1 0 

Greece 36 0 22 14 

Guernsey 2 0 0 2 

Hungary 16 1 10 5 

Iceland 8 1 0 7 

Ireland 22 0 15 7 

Isle of Man 47 0 34 13 

Italy 187 1 114 72 

Jersey 0 0 0 0 

Latvia 9 0 8 1 

Liechtenstein 2 0 1 1 

Lithuania 11 2 9 0 

Luxembourg 96 1 52 43 

Macedonia 2 0 2 0 

Malta 102 3 95 4 

Moldova 1 0 1 0 

Monaco 5 0 4 1 

Montenegro 3 0 3 0 

Netherlands 77 1 41 35 

Norway 39 1 15 23 

Poland 44 0 22 22 

Portugal 134 0 132 2 

Romania 14 1 8 5 

Russian Federation 189 5 137 47 

San Marino 21 0 20 1 

Scotland 3 0 0 3 

Serbia 24 0 20 4 

Slovak Republic 11 0 10 1 

Slovenia 10 0 9 1 

Spain 154 4 106 44 

Sweden 86 0 47 39 

Switzerland 269 7 178 84 

Ukraine 32 1 25 6 

United Kingdom 517 14 339 164 

Total 3803 63 2506 1234 

MAJOR 

Germany, the 

UK and France 

are the major 

three markets 

in Europe. 

SOUTH AMERICA 


Argentina 324 1 163 160 

Bolivia 32 1 8 23 

Brazil 1611 4 799 808 

Chile 114 3 39 72 

Colombia 332 1 42 289 

Ecuador 42 0 17 25 

Guyana 16 0 0 16 

Paraguay 68 1 12 55 

Peru 53 1 10 42 

Suriname 8 0 0 8 

Uruguay 12 0 5 7 

Venezuela 764 1 326 437 

Total 3376 13 1421 1942 

AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA 


Australia 590 2 193 395 

Fiji 4 0 0 4 

French Polynesia 5 0 0 5 

Guam 2 0 0 2 

Kiribati 1 0 0 1 

New Caledonia 8 0 1 7 

New Zealand 59 1 12 46 

Papua New Guinea 25 0 2 23 

Samoa 3 0 1 2 

Tahiti 1 0 0 1 

Tonga Islands 2 0 0 2 

Vanuatu 2 0 0 2 

Total 702 3 209 490 


ing price of fuel, route charges, and 

taxes, including the EU ETS, which 

increased by 9.3% in 2014 alone. 

“Business Aviation should be the first 

to benefit from some economic stability, 

although forecasts for growth 

remain conservative,” says EBAA’s 

CEO Fabio Gamba. 

The weak Russian economy is a reflection 

of just how much the economic climate 

in Russia dictates the pace at which 

aircraft orders and deliveries are realized 

in the region. What little recent activity 

there has been has generally trended 

toward downgrades and purchasing of preowned 

aircraft, displacing what otherwise 

ASIA 


Afghanistan 32 0 0 32 

Armenia 3 0 1 2 

Azerbaijan 13 1 12 0 

Bahrain 14 3 8 3 

Bangladesh 9 0 3 6 

Brunei 3 3 0 0 

Burma 1 0 1 0 

Cambodia 1 0 1 0 

China 410 42 268 100 

Georgia 3 0 3 0 

Hong Kong 126 3 116 7 

India 262 3 170 89 

Indonesia 146 1 47 98 

Iran 45 6 21 18 

Iraq 8 0 0 8 

Israel 91 14 41 36 

Japan 231 3 81 147 

Jordan 29 1 20 8 

Kazakhstan 38 1 29 8 

Kuwait 31 6 23 2 

Kyrgyzstan 2 0 1 1 

Laos 2 0 0 2 

Lebanon 23 1 19 3 

Macau 9 2 7 0 

Malaysia 82 1 47 34 

Maldives 2 0 0 2 

Mongolia 3 0 0 3 

Myanmar 3 0 1 2 

Nepal 11 0 0 11 

North Korea 1 0 1 0 

Oman 16 3 13 0 

Pakistan 48 1 32 15 

Philippines 97 2 46 49 

Qatar 26 5 21 0 

Saudi Arabia 190 29 131 30 

Singapore 54 2 45 7 

South Korea 42 2 28 12 

Sri Lanka 5 0 0 5 

Syria 2 0 2 0 

Taiwan 22 1 15 6 

Thailand 79 5 31 43 

Turkey 149 2 119 28 

Turkmenistan 3 0 3 0 

United Arab Emirates 129 9 88 32 

Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 

Vietnam 5 0 0 5 

Yemen 4 2 0 2 

Total 2506 155 1495 856 

AFRICA 


Algeria 41 1 10 30 

Angola 75 5 24 46 

Botswana 49 0 6 43 

Burkina Faso 6 1 0 5 

Burundi 1 0 1 0 

Cameroon 7 1 2 4 

Canary Islands 1 0 1 0 

Central African Republic 4 0 0 4 

Chad 9 1 2 6 

Comoros 2 0 0 2 

Congo 7 0 3 4 

Cote d''Ivoire 5 0 2 3 

Dem. Republic of Congo 29 5 13 11 

Djibouti 1 1 0 0 

Egypt 45 4 37 4 

Equatorial Guinea 7 1 5 1 

Eritrea 2 0 1 1 

Ethiopia 10 0 0 10 

Gabon 15 1 10 4 

Gambia 7 2 5 0 

Ghana 13 0 7 6 

Guinea 1 0 0 1 

Guinea-Bissau 2 0 0 2 

Kenya 133 2 9 122 

Liberia 3 0 0 3 

Libya 16 1 10 5 

Madagascar 19 0 3 16 

Malawi 2 0 0 2 

Mali Republic 5 1 1 3 

Mauritania 6 1 0 5 

Mauritius 6 0 4 2 

Morocco 46 1 28 17 

Mozambique 9 0 3 6 

Namibia 35 0 13 22 

Niger 6 0 1 5 

Nigeria 94 1 83 10 

Sao Tome and Principe 1 0 1 0 

Senegal 11 1 2 8 

Seychelles Islands 5 0 4 1 

Sierra Leone 1 0 0 1 

South Africa 435 3 158 274 

Sudan 11 0 4 7 

Swaziland 3 2 1 0 

Tanzania 87 0 3 84 

Togo 8 1 3 4 

Tunisia 2 0 2 0 

Uganda 21 0 1 20 

Zambia 27 0 2 25 

Zimbabwe 12 0 2 10 

Total 1343 37 467 839 

*Executive aircraft are airliner aircraft converted to 

private business use, excluding models originally 

meant for business use. 

EMERGING 

Bombardier’s 

2015-2024 

outlook predicts 

economic 

growth of 2.5% 

per year in Asia. 


FLEET REPORT 

would have been new aircraft transactions. 

Yet even within this challenging 

market, Dassault continues to soar, 

remaining one of the leading suppliers 

of high-end business jets in Russia and 

CIS, with a third of the large cabin 

market. “The success of the Falcon 

line in the Russian region stems from 

their robustness, advanced design and 

fuel efficiency,” says Gilles Gautier, 

Vice President, Falcon Sales for 

Dassault Aviation. “These features 

make them perfect for the vast 

expanse and rugged conditions of the 

Russian marketplace.” 

12 MONTH WORLD WIDE TURBINE FLEET 

2014 2015 Unit Change Growth 

Worldwide 34.755 35.682 927 2.7% 

United States 19.229 19.894 665 3.5% 

Africa 1.301 1.343 42 3.2% 

Asia 2.359 2.506 147 6.2% 

Europe 3.902 3.803 -99 -2.5% 

North America 22.426 23.118 692 3.1% 

Australia & Oceania 677 702 25 3.5% 

South America 3.350 3.376 26 0.8% 

PLANNING 

Purchases in 

South America 

remain more 

front-loaded 

than the world 

average. 

2015 BUSINESS JET DELIVERY FORECAST IN UNITS 

South America 

Moving on to South America, we 

see that Business Aviation grew 

slightly, up from 3,360 to 3,376 aircraft. 

Brazil’s growth rate shows a 

slight decrease from 1,635 to 1,611, 

while Venezuela grew from 738 to 764 

units and Colombia from 328 to 332. 

The Brazilian currency, the Real, 

reached its lowest point against the 

dollar in 10 years. As the purchase of 

aircraft and parts are made in US dollars, 

the exchange rate heavily 

impacted Brazilian companies. 

Economic recovery in Brazil before 

2016 is unlikely, but Brazilian 

Association of General Aviation 

(ABAG) officials say by mid-2016 they 

hope to see improvements, though 

smaller companies could be struggling 

until 2017. 

Calling the Central and South 

American Business Aviation market 

“an industry life buoy” over the worldwide 

economic slowdown, analyst 

Brian Foley, founder of Brifo consultancy, 

believes that is about to 

change: “This market has entered a 

cyclic downturn that will be more pronounced 

than previous ones,” says 

Foley. 

He goes on to say that sales of private 

jets, turboprops and helicopters 

are exhibiting continuous declines in 

year-over-year growth rates. “Growth 

approached or exceeded double digits 

as recently as 2011,” he says. “But 

that growth has ebbed to low, singledigit 

rates over the last year. It is my 

thesis that the fleet will eventually 

contract over the next few years, with 

equipment either being idled or sold 

to more prosperous regions of the 

world such as the US.” 

A variety of factors - including debt, 

inflation, weakened currencies, 

declining GDP growth and political 

tension – have contributed to the situation, 

none of which will be rectified 

soon. 

“The final hit, with perhaps the 

greatest implication, is the drop off in 

commodity prices, including around a 

50-percent drop in oil prices over the 

past year,” he says. “As a region with 

an economy heavily dependent on 

natural resources, the full effects have 

yet to be seen and will linger throughout 

these economies for years.” 

A possible exception to this is 

Mexico. As a key trading partner it 

has been indirectly benefitting from 

the US economic recovery. “Given all 

of the manufacturing projects outsourced 

to Mexico by general aviation 

manufacturers, that’s a welcome 

way to reciprocate,” adds Foley. 

Latin American purchase plans rose 

and lead all regions, according to 

Honeywell. Latin America’s 18% share 

of total projected demand between 

now and 2025 grew slightly compared 

with a year ago. Twenty-nine percent 

of the Latin America sample fleet 

expects to be replaced or added to 

with new jet purchases, which is one 

point higher than last year’s survey. 

And nearly 48%of this region’s projected 

purchases are timed to happen 

between 2015 and 2017. 

“Latin America, despite some rough 

current economic conditions, is 

expected to be the 3 rd largest market 

for deliveries, superseded by Western 

Europe, the second largest sales market,” 

says Brian Kough, director of 

forecasts & analysis with Aviation 

Week Intelligence Network. “Our 

actual delivery estimates have diminished 

noticeably this year compared 

to last, but we still feel sales will be 

pretty solid given the current economic, 

financial and geopolitical conditions.” 


Asia 

Asia also delivered good news, with 

the fleet growing by 6.2% over last 

year, from 2,359 units to 2,506. China 

has the largest fleet on the continent, 

jumping to 410 from 353 units. 

Speaking of China, the country has 

been a strong driver for Business 

Aviation growth over the years, yet 

the country’s economic slowdown last 

year cast concerns over the future of 

the industry. While investors are worried 

about the future, the slowdown in 

sales is hardly chasing anyone out of 

the Chinese market. This offers hope 

that world trade flows are finding 

some stability after a dismal 2015. 

Beijing could even prove successful 

in its increasingly forceful attempts to 

stabilize the yuan. 

Bombardier Business Aircraft further 

fosters optimism here by forecasting 

that the Chinese market will 

accept 875 business aircraft between 

2015 and 2024, making it the thirdlargest 

market for new deliveries 

after North America and Europe. 

China has also emerged as one of 

the world’s fastest selling business jet 

markets and a major destination for 

Falcon aircraft. Dassault’s confidence 

in this market is reflected in new 

moves to strengthen its promotion 

and product support network in 

China and the neighboring region. 

“Although new sales activity in China 

was down in 2014, deliveries for 

the new ultra-long range Falcon 8X 

and very large body Falcon 5X, as 

those recently introduced aircraft 

progress through development.” 

According to the Honeywell survey, 

operators in the Asia Pacific region 

report new jet acquisition plans for 

14% of their fleet, up 2% from 2014. 

Despite the below-average level, the 

improved purchase plans yield about 

a 4% share of global demand over the 

next five years. Nearly 40% of respondents 

are scheduling their new purchases 

within the first two years of 

the five-year horizon. 

the continent though still resides in 

South Africa, which is the only 

African country in the “Top 20” fleets 

of the world. 

According to Asian Sky Group’s 

fleet report, the African fleet is the 

oldest in the world. The average aircraft 

age in Africa is over 19 years, 

with some of the aircraft from the late 

50s and early 60s. Not too surprisingly, 

the light and medium business jet 

categories represent over 50% of the 

African fleet. Around 60% of the fleet 

consists of Very Light, Light and 

Medium category aircraft. 

BUSINESS JET FORECAST - DELIVERY VALUE 

FORECAST BY REGION 

Falcons remained very strong, with 

eight aircraft entering service,” says 

Oliver Villa, Senior VP, Civil aircraft 

at Dassault Aviation. “We are still seeing 

strong demand for our Falcon 7X, 

a trend we expect to continue with 

The Middle East and Africa 

Africa also saw significant growth, 

with its fleet adding 42 more units for 

a total of 1,343 aircraft last year. In 

Ghana alone the total business jet 

fleet grew by 85%. The largest fleet on 

In Africa, the GDP Annual Growth 

between 2014 and 2023 is expected to 

be 5.1%. That’s higher than any other 

continent, according to the World 

Bank, and signals a larger industry in 

the future. 

GOAL 

Operators in 

Asia Pacific 

report new jet 

acquisition 

plans for 14 

percent of 

their fleet. 


FLEET REPORT 

According to Honeywell, in the 

Middle East and Africa, slightly lowered 

purchase plans were reported in 

the region overall, which is not surprising 

given another year of significant 

political upheaval and ongoing 

conflict in tandem with low oil prices. 

The share of projected five-year global 

demand attributed to the Middle 

East and Africa remained below its 

historical range of 4-7% again this 

year. 

Regional distress is also weighing in 

on operators, with potential buyers in 

the region scheduling their purchases 

AIRCRAFT DELIVERIES 

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT 

REGIONAL DEMAND 

PREDICTION 

Reflecting 

weaker 

demand, 

Honeywell 

projects slightly 

lower deliveries 

for 2016. 

later in the next five-year window 

compared with last year, with only 

21% of purchases planned before 

2018. In the Middle East and Africa, 

16% of respondents said they will 

replace or add to their fleet with a 

new jet purchase, down from 18% last 

year. 

INDUSTRY INSIGHT 

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS 

Meanwhile, Bombardier Business 

Aircraft has terminated sales and 

distribution agreements with its 

exclusive representative in 21 

countries in the Middle East and 

North Africa, and restructured 

some customer commercial agreements 

that resulted in the cancellation 

of business jet orders totaling 

nearly $2 billion. The Montrealbased 

company’s Business Aircraft 

President David Coleal said in a 

news release that the termination 

of the TAG agreements, in addition 

to other company initiatives, “will 

increase our long-term profitability.” 


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FLEET REPORT 

Jets vs. Turboprops 

This year’s Fleet Report shows that 

the turboprop fleet grew by 318 units, 

or 2.2% compared to last year. The 

worldwide jet fleet grew by 540 units, 

or 2.7%. 

Manufacturers have a reason to be 

happy with these results. Dassault, 

for example, now has 2,118 aircraft in 

the worldwide fleet, up from 2,076 the 

previous year, and Gulfstream’s fleet 

grew to 2,424 units, up from 2,294. In 

fact, the G550 stands out as the second 

most popular jet choice, growing 

from 457 to 499 units. The G450 also 

grew, from 295 to 315 units. 

Given soft market conditions, 

Hawker Beechcraft also did extremely 

well last year with its fleet up to 

8,279 units. Meanwhile, Embraer 

OEMs 

Business 

Aviation 

manufacturers 

had a thriving 

year in 2015. 

now has 919 units in the worldwide 

jet fleet, up from 798. Bombardier 

also fared well. With 4,493 in the 

worldwide fleet, its large cabin models 

made an especially strong showing. 

The steady NetJets deliveries 

will help Bombardier hold the line 

on its margins for its traditional 

sales, even though there is considerable 

margin room on such a mature 

program. 

Cessna posted an impressive 2015 

and now boasts 8,847 units in its fleet. 

Its Caravan 208 models are still the 

most popular turboprops on the market, 

with 2,256 units in the worldwide 

fleet. Likewise, its Citation II is still 

the most popular jet with 550 units in 

the fleet, though that number is down 

from 558 last year. 


Though the jet and turboprop fleets 

grew in 2016, Charles Park, 

Honeywell’s Director of Strategic 

Planning, said many operators want 

to keep their aircraft relevant, but are 

opting to upgrade their existing aircraft 

or buy a used jet. “If an operator 

wants a new jet, but the conditions to 

acquire a new jet aren’t ripe, then you 

either keep your old aircraft as is and 

upgrade it, or buy a less expensive 

used jet that meets your needs,” he 

says. “If you can upgrade your current 

aircraft and get value added 

enhancements, particularly those that 

add to residual value, that is one 

option. If you sell your jet and acquire 

a used model instead of a new one, a 

key consideration is whether that 

used aircraft you are buying is up to 

date, which incents either the buyer 

or the seller to upgrade the used jet. 

It may be easier to sell your own old 

aircraft if it is upgraded as well.” 

Operators surveyed by Honeywell 

plan to make new jet purchases equivalent 

to about 22% of their fleets over 

the next five years as replacements or 

additions to their current fleet. 

Operators are cautious about slow 

economic growth and geopolitical 

concerns. Of those purchase plans, 

19% are scheduled to occur by the 

end of 2016, while 17% are scheduled 

for 2017, and 20% in 2018. 

Operators responding to the 

Honeywell survey increased their 

used jet acquisition plans by about 4%, 

or about 32% of their fleets, over the 

next five years. This is likely to translate 

into an improving aftermarket for 

cockpit and cabin upgrades to maintain 

the value of the aircraft as assets, 

and ensure they remain effective business 

tools. Five year fleet replacement 

or expansion plans are at 22% of 

current fleet, which was 23% in 2014. 

According to Sill, even if operators 

are planning on buying, some might 

hold out for new aircraft that will offer 

greater performance and improved 

cabin features, including greater inflight 

connectivity. “While the sluggish 

economic growth and political 

tensions are driving a more reserved 

approach to purchasing, we are seeing 

operators invest in retrofits and 

upgrades for their existing aircraft, 

especially around connectivity, boosting 

aftermarket opportunities,” he 

says. “The market is still responding 

to those options very well.” 

Oil Prices 

Of course the industry is also heavily 

impacted by outside forces and, in 

particular, the oil industry. The 

decline in fuel prices in recent years 

has had an impact on the industry in 

general, but whether that impact has 

been positive or negative depends on 

the country, field and role. 

Lower fuel prices make flying 

corporate jets more affordable, 

and therefore it is positive for 

company profitability. On the 

other hand, weaker economic 

growth is always alarming for 

Bizav. Low oil prices can cause 

bad effects for the economies of 

oil-producing countries. They can 

also hurt emerging markets for 

the long-range, large-cabin models. 

In summary, it is best said that oil 

prices are a complicated issue, and 

it is still too early for manufacturers 

to make any real assertions 

about the impact low oil prices will 

have. However, according to a 

JetNet IQ survey that asked what 

effect continued low petroleum 

prices would have on aircraft uses, 

more than half of respondents 

reported they anticipate no change 

in their flight hours. 

Looking Ahead 

One of the highlights of the 

Honeywell survey is the bright 

long-term outlook for Business 

Aviation. The longer-range forecast 

through 2025 projects a 3% 

average annual growth rate despite 

the relatively flat near-term outlook 

as new models and improved economic 

performance help grow the 

industry. In the immediate future, 

North America and Europe are 

expected to keep the largest share 

of the market. 

Our predictions: That the North 

American market will continue to 

dominate the world sales and MRO 

demand and will also have a vibrant 

fleet replacement cycle. But I guess 

we’ll have to wait and see… 

✈ 

BLOW 

The decline in 

oil prices 

heavily impacts 

the industry 

growth. 


FLEET REPORT 

BRICS TAKE 

A BREATHER 

Brian Foley puts a spotlight on 

the systematic big cabin 

slowdown in BRIC countries 

G 

ulfstream reduced its workforce 

by 600 workers in December, 

2015 with book to bill dropping 

below 1. Bombardier slowed down 

production of the Global 5000/6000 

family a few months before that, 

announcing it would lay off 1750 

workers. Dassault sales declined by 

72% in 2015 while the backlog 

dropped to 91 from 121 the year 

before that. 

Strange coincidence? Hardly. What 

we’re seeing is clear evidence of a 

systemic big cabin slowdown. The 

culprits? The sagging fortunes of 

BRIC countries, emerging markets 

and oil-related companies and 

regions. While a complete novel 

could be written about either of these 

three culprits, for now let’s just consider 

the BRICs — Brazil, Russia, 

India and China. 

THE BIG (CABIN) CHILL 

SMALL/MEDIUM JETS REGAIN, BUT BIG CABIN SLIDE ACCELERATES 

IMPROVING MARKET OR ILLUSION? 

UNITS UP BUT VALUES DOWN 

Strong BRIC sales continued for the 

next 5 years. But slowly systemic 

changes began happening around the 

early 2014 time frame which has 

shaped where we are today. 

Brazil 

A confluence of economic problems 

have put Brazil on the sidelines for 

now. To quantify this, its GDP fell a 

record 4.5% year-over-year in the third 

quarter in 2015. Other complications 

include high unemployment and inflation, 

a weak currency and high government 

debt. Brazil’s economy is 

deeply dependent on commodities, 

prices for which continue in an extended 

freefall. Its recession, which started 

almost a year ago, is deepening. 

WEAKENING 

BRIC's 

economy still 

struggles after a 

decline in 

early 2014. 

BRIC countries have an appetite for 

large cabin aircraft. This is because of 

the geographical distances between 

them and other international business 

centers, which requires the long range 

capability only a large cabin jet can provide. 

During the 2009 financial crisis, 

BRIC countries seemed insulated from 

the shock and kept buying large aircraft. 

Sustained big cabin sales through this 

era was one of the few bright spots in 

business aviation. By comparison, deliveries 

of small and medium sized jets 

plummeted by two thirds causing the 

halving of the workforce at Cessna and 

the bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft. 

Russia 

Geopolitical unrest and low commodity 

prices have had a serious 

impact on this resource-rich country. 

The Russian Economy Ministry has 

just revised its 2016 economic growth 

forecast to continue the negative contraction 

of last year, principally due to 

plunging oil prices which by some 

accounts is the source of 70% of 

Russia’s GDP. 


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FLEET REPORT 

FLAT 

More small and 

mid-size jets are 

being sold 

without adding 

an additional 

value. 

India 

India seems to be on firmer footing 

than the others, having maintained a 

fairly stable GDP growth rate in the 

7% range. But even then India isn’t a 

huge curator of business jets. 

According to aircraft data provider 

AMSTAT, India has just 158 or the 

world’s 20,800 business jets based 

there — a paltry 0.8%. Although the 

economy is doing relatively well, 

there isn’t an aviation infrastructure 

to support business jets. Although 

India has airports capable of business 

jet operations, it could be a 

UNIT DELIVERIES GROW DRIVEN BY SMALL/MEDIUM JETS: 

VALUES FLAT DUE TO FEWER EXPENSIVE, BIG CABIN SALES 

challenge to find fuel, hangarage, 

maintenance, catering or even facilities 

for the passengers. 

China 

With a fondness for large aircraft, 

the opportunity until recently 

seemed vast and unstoppable. But 

for now someone hit the snooze button. 

A combination negative views of 

flaunting wealth, a gyrating stock 

market and lowered economic 

growth estimates has dampened 

near-term prospects. While a predicted 

GDP growth rate of 6.5% isn’t 

all that bad, the country also lacks 

aviation infrastructure and airspace 

flexibility which acts as a cap to ever 

realizing the full potential of the 

market. 

It’s conceivable that the BRICs 

need 5-7 years before they’re once 

again a formidable source of business 

jet sales. Apart from BRICs, 

weak emerging markets and the 

worldwide commodity price freefall 

will further aggravate the big cabin 

slowdown throughout the year and 

next. 

All of this will cause the business 

jet industry’s near-term outlook to 

be counter-intuitive. Common sense 

normally dictates that as more jets 

are sold the industry’s total shipment 

values go up. That may no 

longer be the case for the time 

being. 

Worldwide business jet shipments 

toppled from a high of 1317 units in 

2008 to a measly low of 672 in 2012. 

As to be expected the combined dollar 

value of these deliveries 

decreased in concert. Beginning in 

2015, contrary to conventional wisdom, 

the number of units delivered 

will continue to track upward as they 

have been with one notable exception 

— total shipment values may 

actually decrease or remain flat. 

The reason has to do with a 

change in the mix of aircraft that will 

be sent to customers. Future shipments 

will contain a greater proportion 

of less costly small and medium 

jets. Thus, even though more jets 

will be built, their average retail values 

will be less as the sales center of 

gravity shifts towards the lower end 

of the market. 

Although more small and mid-size 

jets are being sold, you have to sell 

up to 10 of them just to offset the 

value of just one big Gulfstream lost 

sale. The net effect is that over the 

next couple of years more units will 

go out the door without moving the 

needle on overall industry values. 

This anomaly won’t rectify itself 

until 2018 when a slew of new, large, 

pricey jet models from Dassault, 

Bombardier and Gulfstream hit the 

market. 

For the next decade, I predict 8,679 

business jets worth $241 billion will 

be built, during which time this atypical 

unit/value excursion will work 

itself out. Dollars have always been 

the more relevant health metric than 

units. From this perspective the business 

jet recovery, although verifiable 

from an increasing unit perspective, 

is perhaps for now just running in 

place. 

✈ 

About Brian Foley Associates (BRiFO) 

Since 2006 BRiFO has provided aviation 

investors and companies with 

advice, research, branding and investment 

banking services. His complete 

business jet forecast is available at 

www.BRiFO.com 


BUSINESS AVIATION ACTIVITY 

ANOTHER CHOPPY YEAR TO COME 

Global Business Aviation 

review on aircraft activity 

and future market insights 

by Richard Koe 

Chart 1 

BUSINESS AVIATION ACTIVITY – 

ANOTHER CHOPPY YEAR TO COME. 

With almost all the numbers in, the 

sales of new business jets in 2015 is 

likely to nudge up a little on 2014, the 

first year in which there was some 

stabilization in declining deliveries 

since the recession began. 

Unfortunately this may be as good as 

the recovery gets in the short-term. 

Reflecting the global economy´s 

increasing febrile state, the latest sentiment 

surveys of the business aviation 

industry indicate declining confidence. 

Right now, if you offered the 

industry nothing worse than a repeat 

of 2015´s sluggish growth, it should 

take it without hesitation. 

Flight activity trends should be positive, 

if only because the influx of new 

aircraft, whilst much smaller than 

pre-recession, easily outmatch retirements. 

But despite this weight of 

numbers, flight activity disappointed 

in 2015. In Europe, business aviation 

flights in 2015 declined just under 1% 

on 2014. As shown by Chart 1, the 

decline in business jet activity was 

sharper, with the aggregate business 

aviation activity trend mitigated by 

the recent strong recovery in turboprop 

and piston flights. In terms of 

business jet flights per month, 

European activity is pretty much back 

to where it was in 2009, still around 

15% off peak activity in 2008. 

As shown in more detail in Chart 2, 

the flight activity trend in Europe last 

year was not uniformly bleak. Much 

of the slowdown in activity owes to 

the collapse of Europe´s peripheral 

markets, principally in Russia but also 

Ukraine and Turkey. Five years ago, 

surging demand for private jets in 

these countries helped the industry 

weather the worst of the recession in 

Western Europe. The war in Ukraine 

in 2014 and concurrent slump in the 

oil market ended the economic 

growth story and business jet activity 

with it. Business jet flights from 

Europe to the CIS region last year 

declined at least 25%. 

By the end of the year, beset with 

political crisis and economic downturn, 

business jet activity in Turkey 

was also faltering. In combination 

Europe´s developing business aviation 

markets took the overall market 

Chart 2 

down by 3%. Without this influence, 

flight activity in Europe was more or 

less flat last year. In Western Europe, 

activity was up, with between 1% and 

3% gains in Germany, France, UK and 

Spain. In the former two, recent 

growth owes more to turboprop and 

piston activity. But the UK and Spain 

are showing solid recovery in business 

jet movements, particularly in 

demand for charter flights. 

BUSINESS AVIATION FLIGHTS 

FROM EUROPE´S TOP 20 MARKETS, 2015 

VOLATILITY 

Charts reflect 

the climate of 

an economic 

instability. 


FLEET REPORT 

PROGRESSION 

The North 

American fleet is 

growing year after 

year since 2008. 

Chart 3 

The fleet profile in Europe´s 

peripheral markets has been disproportionately 

weighted towards 

large-cabin long-range jets. Hence 

the demise of these markets has 

had an accentuated impact on this 

aircraft segment. Heavy jet activity 

in Europe in 2015 slumped 10%, as 

shown in Chart 3. Charter demand 

was worst affected; charter hours in 

Heavy Jets fell by more than 15% 

last year. Challenger 600 and 

Legacy 650 aircraft, once much in 

demand for Russian customers, are 

now sitting idle. Notably, Ultra-Long 

Range jet activity continued to grow 

in Europe in 2015. This customer 

seems to have been least affected by 

the crisis. 

Chart 4 

BUSINESS AVIATION ACTIVITY IN EUROPE 

BY AIRCRAFT SEGMENT, 2015 

BUSINESS AVIATION FLIGHTS, 

NORTH AMERICA, 2013-2015 

The core Western European fleet 

has historically had a midsize and 

light aircraft profile. These customers 

were most affected by the 

2008 recession, the repercussions 

reflected in the travails of Hawker 

and Beechcraft. 2015 saw only 

more pain for the midsize sector, 

with activity draining away from 

stalwart aircraft types like the 

Hawker 700-900 and Lear 60. Many 

customers may have upgraded to 

higher performance super midsize 

Challenger 350 and Gulfstream 

280s. Others may be waiting to 

upgrade to the Citation Latitude 

and Embraer 450. Their market 

entry in 2016 should rejuvenate 

activity. 

The light aircraft segment did 

already see some revival in 2015. 

Some of this is evident in higher 

owner utilization of older Entry Level 

jets such as the CJ1 and Bravo, for 

which the cost of fuel may be a factor. 

Then there is the continued success 

of Very Light Jets, especially the 

Citation Mustang, originally anticipated 

as an owner-pilot aircraft, but consistently 

more popular as an air taxi. 

The core Light Jet segment has been 

invigorated by the Phenom 300, particularly 

through its incorporation 

into the NetJets fleet. The Light Jet 

comeback appears to be at the 

expense of the Super Light segment, 

which currently looks priced out by 

lighter aircraft with increasingly comparable 

performance. 

European business aviation activity 

in 2016 will see further development 

of these trends: The CIS market will 

continue to wither, perhaps now a 

slower rate; business jet demand in 

Turkey will stagnate as its economic 

recession deepens; flight activity in 

Northern and Western Europe should 

quicken, as the Eurozone´s economic 

growth gets a little more robust; 

Southern Europe may falter, especially 

with a resumption of debt crises in 

Italy or Greece; business aviation in 

Central and Eastern Europe should 

benefit from relatively faster growing 

economies, although this region´s 

contribution to Europe´s total activity 

is relatively slight. The overall effect 

should be some increase in activity, 

after a 3 year lull. 

In turn, the total size of the 

European business aviation market is 

dwarfed by the North American market. 

As shown in Chart 4, there were 

almost four times the number of 

flights in 2015. Also, flight activity in 

North America grew throughout the 

year, up by 2-3% on 2014. Activity 

growth has been fairly solid since 

2013, solid evidence that the industry 

recovered from its post-2008 crash, 

on the back of several years´ economic 

growth, strong stock markets and 

high corporate profits. 

What´s disappointing is the rate of 

growth in flight activity. Unlike the 

European fleet, which has shrunk the 

last few years, not least through the 

sale of pre-owned jets back to the US, 

the North American fleet has grown 

each year since 2008, yet activity levels 

have barely recovered. Historical 


enchmarks to previous upswings in 

corporate profitability and equity prices 

imply that business jet utilization 

should have come roaring back in the 

last 18 months. But this time around 

the profits have come from cost-cutting 

not revenue growth, and the equity 

prices from low interest rate medication 

rather than underlying value. 

Even several years into economic 

recovery, businesses are unsure 

whether normalized growth is around 

the corner. Clearly this uncertainty has 

pervaded all investment decisions, 

including the purchase or use of private 

jets. It hasn´t helped that the 

image of flying private jets has earned 

such stigma in the wake of the recession. 

As a result, even with easy borrowing, 

bargain-priced aircraft, and a 

slew of new jets entering the market, 

buyers have never been as cautious. 

Well over 10% of the active fleet is officially 

for sale. As much as a further 20% 

of aircraft are effectively idle. 

As in Europe, there are significant 

variations in activity by geography, 

type of usage and aircraft segment. 

North America´s core market, Texas, 

saw a decline close to 5%. This is obviously 

linked to the impact of the global 

collapse in energy prices on the 

region´s vital oil and gas sector. In contrast, 

flight activity on the West Coast 

has been pretty vibrant, reflecting the 

resilient growth in the technology sector 

radiating out of Silicon Valley. 

Other hubs for business aviation 

include the New York area and Florida, 

for which growth was solid but unspectacular. 

Of the less than 3% of flights 

going outside North America, the 

transatlantic share slightly diminished. 

Chart 5 provides some insight into 

the most popular city pairs in the North 

America market. These busiest 50 

pairs generated only 3% of all the airport-to-airport 

connections in the 

region in 2015, which shows how fragmented 

the market is, and underlines 

the role business aviation has in adding 

connectivity to the airline network. The 

most frequented route last year was 

Las Vegas to Van Nuys, with over 2000 

flights, more than 5 a day. Teterboro is 

the North American market´s key hub, 

with over 1700 flights to Palm Beach, 

almost 1000 flights transcontinental to 

Van Nuys, some 400 transatlantic to 

Luton. In total there were some 70,000 

business aviation flights out of 

Teterboro last year. 

BUSIEST CITY-PAIRS FLOWN BY BUSINESS JET, 

Chart 5 

NORTH AMERICA, 2015 

Fractional ownership, which generated 

a large proportion of manufacturers´ 

orders for new aircraft before 2008, has 

greatly diminished since then. But the 

years of severe decline appear to be 

over, with last year seeing a slight 

increase in fleet size and flight activity 

picking. Many previous fractional owners 

reverted to chartering aircraft on an 

ad hoc basis. For the last 3 years, 

growth in charter activity has been the 

leading indicator of some stabilization 

in the market as a whole. Last year Part 

135 flights continued to grow, up 

around 3%. Membership and Block 

Hour charter programs are driving 

much of the growth. 

Unlike in Europe, heavy jet activity 

was resilient in the North American 

market last year, although the increasing 

decline in pre-owned large cabin 

pricing suggests there is a significant 

over-capacity issue, likely to translate 

into a slowdown in this segment in 

2016. Midsize jet activity picked up in 

2015 as Latitude and Embraer 450 jets 

came into the market. Light jet activity 

had a very strong year, flights up 

almost 10% in Q4. The Phenom 300, the 

biggest selling jet in the US market the 

3 years, is a success factor. The Honda 

Jet should add more momentum in this 

segment in 2016. VLJs, by contrast, are 

flying less than they were. This may be 

down to the increased charter and fractional 

competition from turboprops, 

especially the King Air 350 and PC12. 

Back just a couple of months, at the 

2015 NBAA in Las Vegas, a straw poll 

would have shown solid optimism for 

the industry going into 2016. The US 

Fed´s rate-rise was supposed to indicate 

normalizing growth for the 

world´s largest economy, but instead 

it has focused attention on the quickening 

slowdown in emerging markets, 

and the potential repercussions 

for global economic growth. This is 

bound to caution already very wary 

buyers and users of business jets. 

Aircraft manufacturers have lost the 

crutch they´ve had in emerging markets 

and, at least at the outset of 2016, 

it looks unlikely they will find much 

mitigation in the US market. 

On the other hand, even if there is 

no growth in new deliveries in the US, 

a repetition of last year will introduce 

several hundred new aircraft to the 

fleet. Many other pre-owned aircraft 

will be added through strong dollar 

purchases of used aircraft from 

abroad. The stock market panic of 

January may quickly dissipate, without 

affecting the underlying economy. 

Confidence may have been dented, 

but even now, the balance of opinion 

expects slower growth in 2016, not a 

recession. Growth in business aviation 

activity should follow suit, but 

one thing that can be guaranteed is 

that it won´t be a smooth ride. 

✈ 

Richard Koe is Managing Director of 

WINGX, a leading provider of market 

intelligence to the global Business 

Aviation industry. As well as managing 

WINGX, Richard is a regular speaker, 

panelist and moderator at industry conferences 

worldwide, writes on a wide 

range of Business Aviation issues, and 

works closely with regional regulators 

and industry associations. 

FACTOR 

Flight activities 

vary depending 

on geography, 

type of usage 

and aircraft 

segment. 


FLEET REPORT 


STILL IN DEMAND 

An overview of 2015's 

helicopter industry, 

fleet figures by region, 

trends and how 

manufacturers are doing 

POSITIVE 

The helicopter 

industry showed 

growth despite 

a challenging 

market 

backdrop. 

D 

espite the sluggish economy in 

2015, the helicopter industry set 

out to show it was still indispensable. 

In almost every region, the 

market saw stable growth and maintained 

a steady stream of deliveries. 

In the past, the market has been driven 

by the development of new product 

platforms, key global OEMs incorporating 

cutting edge technologies, 

and delivering enhanced operating 

economic and performance feature. 

Last year was no different. Mike 

Madsen, president of Honeywell’s 

Aerospace and Space division says 

the purchase interest for helicopters 

is trending up, influenced by 

increased utilization rates and helicopter 

replacement cycles. Last year, 

Honeywell predicted that about 5,000 

helicopters would be bought through 

2019, a number Madsen describes as 

“steady” compared to previous forecasts. 

Unsurprisingly, fluctuating energy 

prices have impacted some companies’ 

decisions, especially those 

involved in the oil industry. Still, in 

these situations the helicopter industry 

is doing the same as any other 

industry: further expanding the business 

by turning toward developing 

markets. 

Asia, for example, is considered one 

of the most promising markets for 

global helicopter manufacturers. At 

11-percent of global market share it 

rivals Europe, which holds 22-percent 

as the world’s second largest regional 

market. Another significant market is 

Latin America, which currently holds 

9-percent market share. 

North America still makes up the 

largest part of the worldwide helicopter 

fleet, at about 41-percent, and 

Africa holds the smallest share, with 

4-percent. 

As for helicopter purchase trends, 

Madsen says the key drivers for operators 

who intend to purchase a helicopter 

within the next five years are 

the age of their current aircraft, the 

contracted replacement cycle, and 

warranty expiration. Make and model 

choice for new aircraft is strongly 

influenced by range, cabin size, reliability, 

safety, high-performance and 

brand experience. 

Now to the Numbers 

Several trends arise in the helicopter 

fleet data. Light single-engine helicopters 

are still the most popular product 

class, with the BELL206/407, 

Eurocopter AS350 and Robinson R44 

the most frequently mentioned models. 

According to Honeywell, light singleengine 

aircraft represents nearly half of 

all planned purchases during the forecast 

period. Light twins command 18 

percent of the market, while intermediate 

and medium twins are at 31 percent, 

and only 2-percent of the market goes 

to heavy multiengine platforms. 

When it comes to light twins, the 

AW139, EC135 and EC145 series lead 

the class. This class is particularly 

popular in Europe and increasingly in 

North America with the addition of 

the BELL412 and BELL212. In fact, 

the data shows a shifting preference 

toward light singles in North 

America. 

Looking at regional statistics, South 

America, the Middle East, Africa and 

Asia continue to lead in terms of 

growth levels. Europe and North 

America remain steady. 


HELICOPTER SUMMARY BY MODEL AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2015 

PISTON MFG/MODEL TOTAL EUROPE 

ENSTROM 280 SHARK 7 1 

ENSTROM 280C SHARK 120 31 

ENSTROM 280F SHARK 14 0 

ENSTROM 280FX SHARK 103 25 

ENSTROM F-28 3 0 

ENSTROM F-28A 105 21 

ENSTROM F-28C 69 9 

ENSTROM F-28C-2 28 1 

ENSTROM F28F FALCON 100 9 

ROBINSON R22 69 16 

ROBINSON R22 ALPHA 55 4 

ROBINSON R22 BETA 1084 297 

ROBINSON R22 BETA II 1608 319 

ROBINSON R22 HP 67 6 

ROBINSON R22 MARINER 108 19 

ROBINSON R22 MARINER II 41 15 

ROBINSON R44 ASTRO 544 129 

ROBINSON R44 RAVEN I 1340 362 

ROBINSON R44 RAVEN II 3335 786 

SCHWEIZER 300CB 90 19 

SCHWEIZER S-300C 469 165 

SCHWEIZER S-300CBI 198 32 

Total Piston 9.557 2.266 

Turbine MFG/MODEL TOTAL EUROPE 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A119 KOALA 86 18 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A119KE 102 26 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND AW119Kx 32 1 

AIRBUS AS-350B-2 ECUREUIL 1.210 155 

AIRBUS H120 622 293 

AIRBUS H125 439 137 

AIRBUS H130 124 10 

BELL 204B 30 1 

BELL 205A-1 130 6 

BELL 206A JETRANGER 57 4 

BELL 206B JETRANGER II 944 60 

BELL 206B-3 JETRANGER III 1.888 197 

BELL 206L LONGRANGER 97 9 

BELL 206L-1 LONGRANGER II 408 24 

BELL 206L-3 LONGRANGER 473 22 

BELL 206L-4 LONGRANGER IV 416 6 

BELL 210 3 0 

BELL 214B BIGLIFTER 33 2 

BELL 407 1.071 64 

BELL 407GX 266 19 

BELL 407GXP 1 0 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-206A JETRANGER 25 12 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-206B JETRANGER II 78 58 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-206B-3 JETRANGER 78 67 

ENSTROM 480 30 11 

ENSTROM 480B 121 11 

EUROCOPTER AS-350B ECUREUIL 301 56 

EUROCOPTER AS-350B-1 ECUREUIL 48 22 

EUROCOPTER AS-350B-3 ECUREUIL 1.033 321 

EUROCOPTER AS-350BA ECUREUIL 498 124 

EUROCOPTER AS-350D ASTAR 54 5 

EUROCOPTER EC-130B-4 ECUREUIL 419 55 

EUROCOPTER SA-315B LAMA 186 94 

EUROCOPTER SA-316B ALOUETTE III 127 48 

EUROCOPTER SA-318C ALOUETTE II 74 36 

EUROCOPTER SA-319B ALOUETTE III 26 9 

MD MD 500E 353 69 

MD MD 520N 98 11 

MD MD 530F 137 3 

MD MD 600N 61 6 

ROBINSON R66 578 105 

SCHWEIZER 330 14 4 

SCHWEIZER S-333 47 8 

Total Single Turbine 12.818 2.189 

Multi Turbine MFG/MODEL TOTAL EUROPE 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109A 56 23 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109A MK II 91 45 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109C 64 18 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109E POWER 375 112 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109K2 28 16 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109S GRAND 174 64 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND A109SP GRANDNEW 138 57 

AGUSTA/WESTLAND AW139 766 207 



AIRBUS AS-332C1E SUPER PUMA 3 1 

AIRBUS AS-355NP ECUREUIL II 58 36 

AIRBUS AS-365N-3 DAUPHIN 2 192 66 

AIRBUS EC-135P2+ 388 157 

AIRBUS EC-135T2+ 214 123 

AIRBUS EC-145 697 116 

AIRBUS H135 10 10 

AIRBUS H145 31 26 

AIRBUS H155 134 47 

AIRBUS H175 4 4 

AIRBUS H225 166 64 

BELL 206LT TWINRANGER 4 1 

BELL 212 472 50 

BELL 214ST 30 0 

BELL 222A 36 6 

BELL 222B 17 3 

BELL 222SP 6 2 

BELL 222UT 43 2 

BELL 230 33 1 

BELL 412 112 27 

BELL 412EP 543 34 

BELL 412HP 68 20 

BELL 412SP 31 4 

BELL 427 79 12 

BELL 429 GLOBALRANGER 242 40 

BELL 430 114 9 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-412 28 27 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-412EP 17 17 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-412HP 4 3 

BELL/AGUSTA AB-412SP 22 16 

EUROCOPTER AS-332L SUPER PUMA 60 21 

EUROCOPTER AS-332L1 SUPER PUMA 67 30 

EUROCOPTER AS-332L2 SUPER PUMA 45 23 

EUROCOPTER AS-355E ECUREUIL II 2 0 

EUROCOPTER AS-355F ECUREUIL II 120 47 

EUROCOPTER AS-355F-1 ECUREUIL 63 26 

EUROCOPTER AS-355F-2 ECUREUIL 159 50 

EUROCOPTER AS-355N ECUREUIL II 148 74 

EUROCOPTER AS-365C DAUPHIN 2 45 21 

EUROCOPTER AS-365N DAUPHIN 2 99 35 

EUROCOPTER AS-365N-1 DAUPHIN 2 37 12 

EUROCOPTER AS-365N-2 DAUPHIN 2 122 27 

EUROCOPTER BK-117A-1 52 0 

EUROCOPTER BK-117B-1 54 19 

EUROCOPTER BK-117B-2 67 17 

EUROCOPTER BK-117C-1 52 25 

EUROCOPTER EC-135P1 44 14 

EUROCOPTER EC-135P2 155 62 

EUROCOPTER EC-135T1 87 48 

EUROCOPTER EC-135T2 146 105 

EUROCOPTER EC-155B 30 18 

EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117A-1 10 0 

EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117B 86 1 

EUROCOPTER/KAWASAKI BK-117C-1 9 0 

MD MD EXPLORER 114 53 

SIKORSKY S-76A 114 2 

SIKORSKY S-76A+ 35 1 

SIKORSKY S-76A++ 37 3 

SIKORSKY S-76B 76 18 

SIKORSKY S-76C 27 5 

SIKORSKY S-76C+ 145 11 

SIKORSKY S-76C++ 214 18 

SIKORSKY S-76D 58 3 

SIKORSKY S-92A 276 93 

Total Multi Turbine 8.371 2.358 

Grand Total 30.746 6.813 

© AVDATA/JETNET

FLEET REPORT 

In the size categories, piston helicopters 

represent around one third of 

the fleet. The piston segment is dominated 

by Robinson, followed by 

Schweizer and Enstrom. Looking at 

turbine aircraft only, Airbus 

Helicopters leads, followed by Bell, 

Sikorsky and AgustaWestland. 

With a total fleet of 30,746, the 

North American market remained the 

leader with 12,630 helicopters, up 

from 12,404 units last year. It’s followed 

by Europe’s fleet of 6,813 up 

from 6,510 rotorcraft in the previous 

year. Asia came in third with its 3,499 

strong fleet, followed by South 

America at 3,056, Oceania at 2,643, 

and Africa at 1,521. 

PISTON VERSUS TURBINES 

World Area Pistons Single Multi Total 

Africa 540 585 396 1.521 

Asia 604 1.114 1.781 3.499 

Central America 288 640 263 1.191 

Europe 2.266 2.189 2.358 6.813 

North America * 3.869 6.319 2.442 12.630 

Oceania 1.392 890 361 2.643 

South America 886 1.345 825 3.056 

Unknown 0 372 199 571 

Total 9.557 12.818 8.371 30.746 

* North America includes Central America counts 

TOP TEN FLEETS 

BY COUNTRY 

United States 9.395 

Canada 2.417 

Brazil 1.848 

Australia 1.758 

United Kingdom 1.091 

France 892 

South Africa 875 

Japan 755 

Italy 742 

Germany 720 

The data shows that Africa favors 

the single-segment, whereas Asia 

leans towards the multi-segment. 

Europe is fairly evenly spread across 

the three segments, with 2,266 pistons, 

2,189 singles and 2,358 multi. 

Singles significantly lead in the North 

American market, making up 6,319 

aircraft in its total fleet. In Oceania, 

pistons are the clear leader, while the 

single is the most favored segment in 

South America. 

Once again, the US leads the top ten 

fleet leader-board with a rotorcraft 

fleet of 9,395, up from 9,146 last year. 

It’s followed by a 2,417 strong aircraft 

in Canada. Brazil comes in third with 

1,848, followed by Australia at 1,758 

and the United Kingdom at 1,091. 

The bottom half of the top ten include 

France (892), South Africa (875), 

Japan (755), Italy (742), and Germany 

(720). Just below the top ten are New 

Zealand (711), Mexico (689) and 

Russia (579). In comparison to last 

year, there is no major change in 

positions, but when comparing with a 

couple of years before, Brazil’s 

upswing stands out the most. 

Another front-runner in the helicopter 

market is China, which saw a 

strong expansion, reaching a total 

MASS 

The Russian 

twin turbine 

Mi-8 is among 

the world's 

most-produced 

helicopters. 


number of 595 helicopters up from 

511 last year. The increased easing 

of airspace regulations and the 

establishment of new aviation support 

infrastructure in China has led 

to a surge in demand for helicopters 

in a wide range of applications. 

Most additions are in the large 

cabin and up segments, as we have 

seen in the past. Business levels are 

still high in China, which seems 

encouraging. The challenge is the 

amount of time it takes to complete 

transactions, which is usually quite 

long. 

Manufacturers 

Looking at these figures, helicopter 

manufacturers and related 

companies seem enthusiastic to 

grow their product line and global 

customer base. Textron subsidiary 

Bell Helicopter introduced the latest 

variant of the popular Bell 407 

platform last year. The new aircraft 

incorporates the reliability and 

advanced technology of the Bell 

407GX platform, and introduces 

performance enhancements, payload 

increase and pilot workload 

reduction. 

SOLID 

AW139 (top) 

and Bell 407 

are civil utility 

helicopters 

mostly used for 

emergency 

services. 


FLEET REPORT 

Derived from the Bell 407GX platform, 

the Bell 407GXP has an additional 

50 lbs (22.5 kg) of payload 

capability, coupled with a new M250 

Rolls-Royce engine that improves performance 

and fuel efficiency. These 

enhancements make it one of the best 

in its class. The aircraft is also 

equipped with new avionics features 

such as a hover performance calculator 

improvement and a transmission 

TBO extension of +500 hours that is 

expected to lower maintenance costs. 

Latin America is a promising market 

for Bell aircraft, and it presents a 

highly diversified climate, according 

to Jay Ortiz, Bell Helicopter’s vice 

president of Latin American sales. 

EFFICIENT 

AW609 (top) is 

known with its 

tiltrotor flight 

capabilities, 

while H135 is 

eco-friendly. 

“The Bell 407 has proven to be a 

very popular aircraft with over 1,200 

flying worldwide today, with particularly 

strong demand for the upgraded 

Bell 407GXP from our Latin American 

customer base,” he says. 

Looking at earnings figures from 

Textron, owner of the Bell Helicopter, 

we see revenue in the third quarter of 

last year was down 7.3-percent last 

year, from $3.4 billion in 2014 to $3.2 

billion. Textron segment profit in the 

quarter was $312 million, up $19 million 

from the third quarter of 2014. Third 

quarter manufacturing cash flow before 

pension contributions was $116 million 

compared to $144 million during last 

year’s third quarter. 

Airbus Helicopters unveiled the 

Bluecopter, a demonstrator based on 

the H135. One notable feature is a 

power management system that could 

shut down one engine in the cruise 

phase and use the other one at a higher, 

and thus more fuel-efficient, output. 

Meanwhile, Italy’s Finmeccanica subsidiary 

AgustaWestland suffered a setback 

on the AW609 civil tiltrotor program 

after the fatal crash of prototype 

two on October 30. 

Though overall revenue from western 

helicopter manufacturers is up, oil price 

drops have an indirect effect on helicopter 

sales by reducing the financial 

capacity of countries whose economies 

rely on oil. Surely, the decrease in oil 

prices and economic uncertainty in 

those parts of the world will continue to 

affect helicopter deliveries for months 

to come, but the market value will 

hopefully remain unchanged – but only 

time will tell. 

✈ 


A snapshot of the 

developments for helicopter 

cabin noise reduction systems 

HELICOPTER CABIN NOISE 

THE SCIENCE 

OF THE QUIET 

written by Kirby Harrison 

HELICOPTER CABIN 

In the helicopter cabin, noise is 

almost accepted as a fact of flight, 

what with a turbine whining just 

overhead, a main rotor beating the air, 

as well as gear boxes and the usual aircraft 

racket produced by actuators, 

pumps and fans. But that is changing, 

thanks to new technology, new installation 

techniques, and new materials. 

In recent years, reducing helicopter 

cabin noise has become the goal of 

manufacturers and interiors specialists 

alike, and there has been considerable 

progress. 

One of the more impressive efforts 

came from German chemicals giant 

BASF. The product is Basotect, a flexible, 

open-cell foam made from 

CLATTER 

Reducing cabin 

noise in 

helicopter is one 

of the goals of 

helicopter 

manufacturers. 

Basotect from 

BASF (left) is 

one of the 

solutions. 


HELICOPTER CABIN NOISE 

melamine resin. Its open-cell surface 

guarantees that sound waves are not 

reflected but penetrate the cell structure 

unhindered, and the sound energy 

is reduced. 

RESULTS 

The noise level 

in a Russian 

Mi8 VIP (top 

pictures) 

dropped from 

85 to 8O dB 

after a BASF 

Basotect 

insulation. 

The initial installation was in a VIP 

version of the Russian-made Mi 8 helicopter. 

Moscow-based Vemina- 

Aviaprestige was responsible for the 

interior furnishings and opted for 

Basotect for the thermal/acoustic barrier. 

The special foam, coated on both 

sides by waterproof fleece, was 

affixed to selected noise-intensive 

points at a thickness of 40 millimeters. 

It was produced and fitted by 

StandartPlast, a provider of acoustic 

systems solutions to the transportation 

industry. 

According to Sergey Milek, COO at 

StandartPlast, “The noise level inside 

the helicopter dropped from 85 to 80 

dB (decibels). It also reduced the 

weight of the helicopter’s usual sound 

insulation system by 80 percent. This 

240 kilogram reduction allows an 

increase in passenger capacity or 

flight range. The package was certified 

by Russian aviation authorities. 

One of the most cabin innovative 

noise alteration systems came from 

Andrew Winch Designs of London. 

They called it Whisper Dish and have 

taken it from residential use to aircraft. 

While the basic technology is not 

new, the Andrew Winch variant 

involved incorporation of parabolic 

surfaces in sidewalls opposite each 

other. The result was that the sound 

waves were reflected and amplified in 

a specific space, allowing two people 

to converse quietly within the amplified 

area and at the same time not be 

heard across the room. 

Whisper Dish does not make the 

cabin quieter, but combined with 

other noise absorbing materials and 

installation techniques, the passenger 

experience is enhanced. 

WHAT IS NOISE? 

Noise at its most simple is a sound 

that can be described as unpleasant 

or annoying. Or it may be undesirable, 

or interfering with sounds 

we wish to hear. In fact the word 

“noise” is derived from the Latin 

“nausea,” which is pretty much selfexplanatory. 

Sound perception is also unique to 

each individual, explained the late 

Otto Pobanz, whose work in the 

field remains the standard today 

when attempting to reduce aircraft 

cabin noise. “Every person’s hearing 

is different,” he explained. “In virtually everyone older, certain hearing 

frequencies have been degraded over time. And if you put 10 people on 

an airplane in flight, each of them will have a different perception of the 

noise level, regardless of age group.” 

There is a growing focus in recent years on the subject of noise pollution. 

Studies have shown direct links between noise and health. Among problems 

related to noise are stress-related illnesses, high blood pressure, 

speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption and loss of productivity. 

Continued or repeated exposure to high intensity noise may cause 

acoustic trauma to the ear and result in hearing loss. It can be temporary 

loss, or permanent, and may affect one ear or both ears. 

Sound is typically measured in decibels, or dB. Studies have shown that 

sounds of less than 75 dB, even after long exposure, are unlikely to cause 

hearing loss. Repeated exposure to sound at or above 85 dB can cause 

hearing loss. 

According to an FAA study, cabin noise level in a single-rotor helicopter 

ranges from 80 to 102 dB. With the aid of new technology, OEMs and independent 

helicopter interior specialists have managed to reduce the cabin 

noise in some cases to decibel levels in the mid-to-low 70s. Compare those 

noise levels to 60 dB for normal conversation, 85 dB for heavy city traffic, 

and 105 dB attributed to an emergency vehicle siren. 

And noise is not merely annoying, it is also a health risk, from increased 

stress levels to temporary or permanent hearing loss. According to the 

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, eight-hour work-days 

exposed to noise in the 85 dB range contributes to an 8-percent change 

of hearing loss. The same workday at 95 dB increases this change to 25 

percent. 

So the bottom line is that reducing helicopter cabin noise is not only a matter 

of comfort, it is also a matter of ensuring the health of the passengers. 


At Sikorsky, now part of Lockheed 

Martin, both the S-76D and S-92 helicopters 

are equipped with Sikorsky’s 

exclusive active vibration control and 

sound damping technologies. 

“With cabin accommodations being 

a high priority for the executive or 

head-of-state passenger, Sikorsky 

incorporates several sound attenuating 

solutions,” said a Sikorsky 

spokesperson. “These are designed 

to lessen the effect of broadcast noise 

from the most common sources; the 

main transmission, engines and 

rotors.” 

More recently Italian aircraft cabin 

interiors specialist Mecaer Aviation 

Group (MAG) has been working on 

its SILENS technology. In the past six 

months, the Borgomanero, Italybased 

company has certified the 

SILENS system in a new platform – 

the Bell 429. It has already been certified 

with EASA, Brazil, Canada, 

Russia and San Marino. 

In addition, Mecaer is now investing 

in a new Agusta-Westland AW- 

139 sliding door SILENS supplementary 

type certificate. It will allow 

sliding door customers the same 

technology that was previously 

available only in the hinged door 

AW-139. Certification is expected in 

mid-2016. 

According to Armando Sassoli, head 

of business development and MAG 

co-general manager, one of the AW- 

139 helicopters achieved a cabin 

sound level of 68 dB. “To our knowledge, 

this is the lowest level of sound 

ever achieved in this aircraft type,” he 

added. 

New materials are always being 

developed to create an even lighter 

system and even lower dB levels in 

the passenger cabin, Sassoli pointed 

out. “New systems are currently 

being analyzed in our engineering 

department.” He added that Mecaer 

quiet-cabin systems and technology 

are now in service on six continents 

and have logged hundreds of thousands 

of headset-free flight hours. 

To accomplish this, the S-76 is 

equipped with the Sikorsky’s Quiet 

Zone main transmission and Silencer 

cocoon interior. It also adapts patented 

airframe structure isolation technologies 

originally developed for the 

S-92 helicopter’s executive configuration 

buildup. “Because sound levels 

vary from aircraft to aircraft, Sikorsky 

gives careful consideration and optimization 

of the unique needs and 

style requirements of the customer.” 

In recent years, insiders have suggested 

that the best way to reduce 

cabin noise in a helicopter, or any aircraft, 

is to design it to a noise standard 

as part of design. Among the 

possibilities is a reduction in the tip 

speed of the rotors as a means to 

reduce rotor noise. 

Otto Pobanz offered another perspective. 

He pointed out that there is 

no single solution to reducing aircraft 

cabin noise. Each noise source, he 

said, requires its own solution, and 

reducing one source of noise can 

often reveal another. “It’s a never-ending 

chase,” he said. 

✈ 

ALTERNATIVES 

SILENS 

technology from 

Mecaer Aviation 

Group was 

installed on a 

Bell429 (top). 

MAG works also 

on noise reduction 

solutions for the 

AW-139 (center) 

and S-76 cabins 

(bottom). 


HELI EXPO PREVIEW 

EXCITEMENT 

Finmeccanica 

AW189 (below) 

will touch down 

at the 2016 HAI 

HELI-EXPO, 

world's largest 

helicopter trade 

show. 


SUPER-MEDIUM CLASS 

RISE OF THE “MIDCHINES” 

An insightful preview of 

Heli-Expo 2016 

with a focus on the 

emerging super-medium 

helicopter market 

by Mark Huber 

T 

hree of the big four Western 

helicopter OEMs are offering 

new super-midsize ships — 

those that fit into the 17,000 to 

20,000 lb weight class — in the hope 

of drawing from both medium and 

heavy class customers. To date, 

Finmeccanica (formerly Agusta- 

Westland) and Airbus have certified 

offerings in the niche and Bell has a 

product under development that 

should be certified sometime next 


year. As one might expect, the 

majority of ships have been ordered 

from the energy services sector 

(OGP). Collectively, all three OEMs 

are collectively claiming orders of 

slightly over 300 ships; however, 

given $34-a-barrel oil it remains to be 

seen how solid some of those orders 

are. 

Representatives for the OEMs 

make the case that cheap oil means 

that super-mediums are even more 

needed in the deepwater offshore 

energy game because of their value 

proposition: The ability to fly missions 

or almost fly missions that is 

equivalent to heavy helicopters, but 

with medium helicopter economics 

and with cabin ergonomics essentially 

the same including the ability to 

stand up. In recent weeks, we have 

seen various OGP operators part 

their heavy helicopters, a trend 

bound to continue unless the price of 

oil recovers soon. While OGP customers 

are first in line for the category, 

it is expected that para-public, 

search-and-rescue, executive, and 

VIP users will join the customer list 

over time and the OEMs already 

have floated some fairly modern and 

opulent concepts for executive/VIP 

users. 

The various leasing companies and 

OGP operators already have committed 

to the super mids in a big way. 

Last year alone various leasing companies 

committed to well over 50 of 

the category with Waypoint and 

Milestone Leasing lining up with letters 

of intent for 20 Bell 525s each. It 

is clear the leasing companies hear 

“ka-ching” from the “mid-chines.” 

Here then is the trio of super-mediums 

on, or coming to, market. 

Finmeccanica AW189 

This helicopter actually began as a 

military program in 2006 that took 

the successful civilian medium 

AW139 and lengthened it by 12 feet 

and powered it with a pair of FADEC 

GE CT7-2E1 turboshaft engines 

(2,000 shp) and a larger rotor system. 

The engines have the power to 

enable the AW189 to satisfy the US 

military’s 6,000 foot, 95F degrees 

hover out of ground effect requirement. 

The AW189 cruises at 150 nm 

and has a maximum range of 635 

nm. The AW189 has the range to 

fly out to and return from platforms 

as far as 200 nm offshore with up to 

12 passengers, making it a serious 

alternative to large category helicopters 

currently employed on the 

same mission. There is maximum 

seating for 18 passengers in the 409 

cubic foot cabin and the baggage 

hold is 71 cubic feet; maximum takeoff 

weight is 17,900 lbs. During certification 

testing the AW189 successfully 

demonstrated its ability to operate 

for 50 minutes following loss of 

lubrication to the main gearbox. 

Earlier this year the company 

announced that capability could be 

extended. The AW189 made its first 

flight in 2011 and was granted certification 

by the European Aviation 

Safety Agency in 2014 and the US 

Federal Aviation Administration in 

2015. More than 20 have been delivered; 

however, work continues on a 

number of kits including the optional 

Full Icing Protection System 

(FIPS), which has delayed the 

AW189’s entry into service as a 

search and rescue helicopter in the 

United Kingdom. Currently the helicopter 

is available with only Limited 

Icing Protection System (LIPS). 

Helicopters equipped with LIPS 

are permitted to fly within a known 

and defined envelope of icing conditions 

provided that the capability to 

descend into a known band of positive 

temperature is available 

throughout the intended route, typical 

of conditions encountered, for 

example, over the North Sea. 

Thanks to its cost-effectiveness and 

reduced weight, LIPS is optimal for 

flight in limited icing conditions for 

operations such as offshore and passenger 

transport as well as search 

and rescue. LIPS is available as an 

option and includes ice detectors, 

Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) 

marker, Ice Accretion Meter and 

heated windshield. The system does 

not require heated rotor blades and 

associated equipment, while the 

engine air intake heating system is 

already incorporated into the standard 

AW189 helicopter. FIPS builds 

on LIPS with electrical power generators 

and heated windshield and 

main and tail rotor blades. 

Up front in the night vision goggle 

compatible cockpit, the AW189’s 

glass panel avionics system is built 

around a Rockwell Collins brain 

with a four-axis auto-pilot. 

Training is available on the AW189 

through the CAE/Finmeccanica 

Rotorsim Series 3000 Level D 

Simulator at the Marchetti Training 

Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy. 

The simulator incorporates a six 

degrees-of-freedom electric motion 

system and high-performance vibration 

platform that reproduces vibration 

cues, a high-fidelity image generator, 

and a direct-projection 210- 

degree by 80-degree field-of-view 

dome display. More than 20 

AW189s already have been delivered. 

Airbus H175 

Airbus Helicopters delivered its 

first H175 super-medium twin in 

2014. The H175 features the 

Helionix avionics suite developed 

in cooperation with Elbit Systems 

and Rockwell Collins, a roomy and 

comfortable cockpit and cabin layout 

with oversized passenger windows 

and low cabin vibration and 

low interior and exterior noise 

levels. Its two-zone environmental 

control system precludes the typical 

choice of freeze or broil in the 

cockpit and each passenger has 

his own individual overhead air 

gasper. A high-density cabin layout 

is available with seats for 18 

passengers; the main cabin volume 

is a comfy 434.37 cu ft. Add 

another 95.35 cu ft for the baggage 

compartment. The baggage 

hold can be reached from inside 

the cabin. The cockpit is very comfortable 

and all the switches and 

controls are located along the 

pedestal and the panel easily 

accessed from either right or left 

seat. The Helionix avionics system 

incorporates four-axis autopilot, 

two flight computers, and an autohover 

systems that automatically 

ELEGANCE 

The AW189 in 

VIP version 

provides a 

panoramic view 

for all 

passengers. 


HELI EXPO PREVIEW 

corrects for wind. An automatic 

stability system can keep the helicopter 

stable merely by toggling 

two beeps on the cyclic to activate 

the “recovery mode” that reestablishes 

the latest heading, speed 

and altitude. Likewise, an automatic 

hover can kick in at 150 feet. 

This feature is particularly useful 

in situations where the pilot loses 

visual reference to the ground 

such as a brownout or inadvertent 

encounter with instrument meteorological 

conditions. 

Bell 525 

The most ambitious of the trio, the 

Bell 525 “Relentless” remains under 

development and features triple-redundant 

fly-by-wire (FBW) digital flight 

controls. The first 525 flew July 1 and 

the second one just joined the flight 

test program. Three more will take to 

the sky and Bell still hopes to have the 

craft certified sometime in 2017. 

In addition to the FBW, the 525 is the 

first commercial helicopter featuring 

sidestick, as opposed to the traditional 

cyclic (stick between your legs) and 

collective (stick on your left side) con- 

SPACIOUS 

With extremely 

roomy cabin, 

the Airbus H175 

accommodates 

up to 18 

passengers and 

2 crew. 

The H175 is a flexible flier that performs 

well under a variety of load conditions 

with a maximum range of 600 

nm; 265 with seven passengers plus a 

10 percent fudge factor plus a 30 

minute reserve. 

And that’s with the passengers 

weighted down heavy, not some fantasy 

170 lb dummies. The H175 

does not have an auxiliary power 

unit, but one of its Pratt & Whitney 

Canada PT-67E engines can be run 

on the ground while declutched, 

providing power to cool the cabin 

before aircraft loading. The engines 

(1,776 shp each) deliver solid performance: 

The H175 has already 

established several time-to-climb 

records, including 19,685 feet (6,000 

meters) in 6 minutes, 54 seconds. 

Test pilots said that they had experienced 

climb rates of up to 4,500 feet 

per minute. 

Like the AW189, the H175 is a work 

in progress when it comes to certification 

for inlet barrier filters, flight into 

known ice and certification for single 

pilot IFR. The H175 was designed for 

ease of maintenance and to meet the 

MSG3 maintenance standard. The 

engines, main gearbox and rotors all 

have an initial time between overhaul 

(TBO) of 5,000 hours. The fuselage 

contains multiple ladder attach points 

for easy climbing and the tall cowling 

presents ease of access to a variety of 

systems. Airbus maintains the H175 

will be five to seven percent less 

expensive to maintain than competitive 

aircraft. 

trols. It also has the Garmin G5000H 

touchscreen avionics system. The 525 

is powered by a pair of GE CT7-2F1 

turboshafts (1,800 shp each) that drive 

an all-composite five-blade main rotor 

with a disc diameter of 54.5 feet and a 

four bladed tail rotor. The hybrid aluminum/composite 

fuselage will have 

88 square feet of flat floor space and be 

4.5 feet tall and have a 128 cubic foot 

baggage compartment. Entry to the 

525’s cabin is through a pair of hinged 

doors between the cockpit and the 

first of four seating rows (coach) or 

through two large aft sliding doors. 

The 525 is the largest civil helicopter 

Bell has ever attempted. It will have a 

maximum takeoff weight of 19,300 lbs, 

a useful load of 7,400 lbs, a top speed 

of at least 155 knots, range of 500 nau- 


tical miles, and seating inside for up to 

20 passengers (coach); 8-12 in executive 

to VVIP luxury. Bell revealed the 

program in 2012 and has received 70 

letters of intent since then. A public 

price has yet to be disclosed but given 

the advanced technology expect it to 

be on the high side, perhaps as much 

as $24 million by the time it is delivered 

with a VIP cabin that offers all the 

same amenities you would find in a 

full-sized corporate jet. 

Bell spent a lot of time thinking 

through the details on the 525, both 

large and small. The first thing you 

tude say trapped in a white out or 

brownout, he need merely let go of the 

controls and the ARC will place the 

helicopter automatically in a hover. 

From there the pilot can make gradual 

control adjustments into a safe landing. 

ARC also can be used to send 

maintenance health usage monitoring 

(HUMS) data in real time via uplink 

facilitating best practices such as trend 

monitoring to minimize aircraft downtime. 

While the 525 may be Bell’s first 

civil aircraft with FBW and Bell’s 

largest civil aircraft, Bell has built 

notice is the drooped Plexiglas windshield 

and the low-slung instrument 

panel that provides the pilots with 

excellent visibility outside the helicopter. 

Then there are things you may 

not notice, like the selection of materials 

or the shape of the tailboom. The 

525 uses composites on the base of the 

airframe forming sort of a composite 

bathtub in places you would expect it 

would be vulnerable to corrosion. In 

other places, it uses metal. The aerodynamic 

tailboom and canted tailrotor 

translate into less power needed for 

anti-torque so more power goes to the 

main rotor blades and less power is 

used overall. 

In the cockpit, besides the sidesticks, 

you notice the crew seats that track 

back and then outward in the motion 

of a “J” to provide easy and comfortable 

access for the pilots. Now there’s 

a concept, no more limbo dance insertions 

and extractions over the center 

instrument pedestal! 

The FBW gives the 525 a totally different 

pilot feel than a traditional helicopter 

in that its ARC (Awareness 

Reactive Control) Horizon cockpit 

responds faster than the human brain 

and automatically intercedes to keep 

pilots and passengers out of danger. 

ARC can sense a critical failure and set 

the aircraft up for an emergency landing 

procedure—say an autorotation— 

faster than the pilot can. This gives the 

pilot precious extra seconds to select 

an emergency landing site, safe systems, 

or alert passengers. If a pilot 

finds himself at low speed and low alti- 

larger aircraft with FBW: the V-22 

Osprey tiltrotor in partnership with 

Boeing for the U.S. Marine Corps 

and U.S. Air Force and will soon 

begin making deliveries to the U.S. 

Navy. The V-22 experience will 

serve Bell well on the 525 even if 

incorporating the FBW at first presents 

something of a learning curve. 

With all three machines, the impact 

of the depressed oil market on how 

fast customers can accept them 

remains to be seen as does what be 

the reaction of Sikorsky’s new owner, 

Lockheed Martin. Will Sikorsky compete 

by offering price discounting on 

the S-92 or jump into the fray with a 

competing product of its own? Stay 

tuned. 

✈ 

RELENTLESS 

The Bell 525 

offers one of the 

largest cabin 

in its class. 


MAINTENANCE 

BUSINESS AIRCRAFT 

MAINTENANCE 

IS A GLOBAL MATTER 

GLOBAL 

The Global 7000 

is on the wings 

for 2017, with a 

very strong order 

book, says 

Bombardier CEO, 

Alain Bellemare. 

A glance at the access to Bizav maintenance, global 

customer support and spare parts by Kirby Harrison 

Driven by a global economy that 

is spurring sales of long-range 

business jets and in turn the 

need for access to maintenance, global 

support and spare parts, aircraft 

manufacturers are rapidly expanding 

to meet challenge. 

Evidence of this global reach of 

business jets is readily apparent, in 

particular at Canadian OEM 

Bombardier. To date, the number of 

Global Express and Global XRS deliveriess 

has topped the 600 mark. And 

despite a decision to reduce production 

due to a soft market and sagging 

demand in Russia, Bombardier 

Business Aircraft president and CEO 

Alain Bellemare said the order book 

remains “very strong.” 

And looking further out into 2017 

and 2018, the Global 7000 and 

Global 8000, respectively, are in the 

wings, so to speak, despite some 

delays in both programs. The Global 

7000 is expected to hit Mach 0.925 

and travel 7,400 nautical miles nonstop 

at Mach .85. 

Also in the long-range, large cabin, 

category, Dassault Falcon Jet’s 

Falcon 7X points to China as its second 

largest market, where 35 airplanes 

are already in service. 

More than 250 Falcon 7Xs have 

come off the production line, a precursor 

to the French OEM’s new 

ultra-long range Falcon 8X trijet. The 

8X will have a range of 6,450 nautical 

miles, capable of non-stop flights from 

Beijing to New York or Hong Kong. 

Deliveries of the new flagship are 

expected to begin in late 2016. 

There is ample evidence that the 

Business Aviation world will continue 

to grow. Embraer recently released 

its 10-year market outlook for 

Business Aviation and forecasts 9,100 

new business jet deliveries, with a 

value of $259 billion. 

The Brazilian OEM further noted 

that while 4,850 business jet deliveries 

were forecast in North America, 

4,250 deliveries are expected in the 

rest of the word – primarily Africa, 

Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America 

and the Middle East. And of the total 

deliveries, 3,400 are expected to be 

large-cabin aircraft with long-range 

capability. At this point, Embraer 

Executive Jets’ own global fleet of all 

aircraft types, exceeds 930 aircraft in 

60 countries. 

Gulfstream Aerospace is working 

hard to corner the market in largecabin, 

ultra long-range business jets 

with its G650 and more recent 

G650ER. In 2003, about 18 percent of 

the Gulfstream fleet was based in 

internationally. By the end of 2014, 

that had grown to 35 percent, and in 

sheer numbers, the Gulfstream fleet 

worldwide now totals more than 2,400 

aircraft across every continent but 

Antarctica. 

Textron Aviation, parent company to 

Cessna Aviation and Beechcraft, does 

not produce business jets with extraordinary 

range, but with its Citation 

jet line from Cessna and King Air line 

from Beechcraft, total fleet is truly 

global. 

Cessna has delivered 6,750 business 

jets to date, and Beechcraft has delivered 

7,300 King Airs. Today, 64 percent 

of sales are in North America 

and the remainder scattered throughout 

Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle 

East and South America. Last year, 

Cessna celebrated its first business 

jet deliveries in China – two Citation 

XLS+ models – through the company’s 

joint venture operations in Zuhai. 


tion authority certification from 14 

countries, from Europe and the U.S. 

to Malaysia and India. Additional certification 

is expected from the 

Chinese authorities. 

At Dassault Falcon Jet, the company 

has taken a major step in launching 

its FalconResponse program, an 

expanded portfolio of AOG support 

services to ensure faster return to service. 

Dassault has 34 authorized service 

centers and four owned service 

centers worldwide. 

As have others, Embraer has been 

expanding its maintenance and sup- 

Service and Support 

Expanding Globally 

As never before, OEMs are seeing 

the value of supporting what they 

sell and anywhere their customers 

fly. According to Scott Kalister, 

Embraer’s senior vp of customer 

support and services worldwide, 

“freedom of movement is what business 

aviation customers seek.” That 

freedom, he added, was exemplified 

by a recent flight of Embraer’s ultralarge 

cabin Lineage 1000E, which 

set a flight time record of 10 hours 

and 4 minutes, from Beijing to Abu 

Dhabi. 

“As the number of Bombardier business 

aircraft operators grows in 

regions around the world, 

Bombardier continues to explore 

opportunities to expand its presence 

world,” said Andy Nureddin, vice 

president and general manager of 

customer services. 

Among the most recent extensions 

was the start of work on a new maintenance 

facility in Tianjin, China. 

Set to open in 2017, it will provide 

maintenance, repair, and overhaul, 

along with associated services. 

Under the joint venture agreement, 

the facility will be operated using 

similar processes and procedures 

that govern Bombardier’s worldwide, 

wholly owned service center 

network. 

In February this year, Bombardier 

marked the second anniversary of its 

Singapore Service Center and is celebrated 

maintenance support at the 

facility for more than 800 aircraft 

since its opening. It has received avia- 

port programs, most notably its 

Embraer Executive Care (EEC) program. 

With it, customers pay only for 

hours flown for five years, plus a fixed 

amount per month. “In return they 

know in advance what their maintenance 

expenses will be by transferring 

the risk of cost variations to Embraer,” 

said Scott Kalister, senior vp of customer 

support and services worldwide. 

The EEC Standard package covers 

aircraft components such as avionics 

and auxiliary power units, as well as 

tires and brakes for scheduled and 

unscheduled maintenance. Freight 

costs are included. 

EEC Intermediate is currently available 

for the Legacy 600, Legacy 650 

and Lineage 1000 customers. It covers 

labor and heavy maintenance costs, in 

addition to all the options available 

under EEC standard. 

EEC Enhanced is the premium package 

providing all the coverage available 

under EEC standard, as well as 

labor costs for all levels of maintenance. 

It also provides mobile recovery 

service to help with unexpected 

events at remote locations. 

EXPANDING 

Above: The 

Gulfstream fleet 

worldwide totals 

more than 2,400 

aircraft. 

Below:To expand 

its AOG support, 

Dassault Falcon 

Jet launched its 

FalconResponse 

Program. 


MAINTENANCE 

WORLDWIDE 

Above: 

Bombardier 

Business 

Aircraft is 

working on a 

new 

maintenance 

facility in 

Tianjin, China. 

Center: Cessna 

delivered two 

Citation XLS+ 

models in 

China. 

Gulfstream’s product support group 

had a busy 2015, opening a new maintenance 

hangar at its Brunswick, GA 

site. The 110,000-square-foot facility 

accommodates all Gulfstream aircraft 

models and more than doubles the 

site’s under-roof capacity to as many 

as seven large-cabin business jets 

simultaneously. 

Also added to the Gulfstream service 

and support family was a maintenance 

operation at New Jersey’s 

Teterboro Airport consisting of 11 

technicians and support staff. On 

the West Coast, aircraft began 

rolling into a newly renovated 

19,000-square-foot maintenance 

hangar at Gulfstream’s Long Beach 

site. The Savannah, GA-based OEM 

also has plans to deploy three new 

specially equipped Field and 

Aircraft Support Team (FAST) 

ground vehicles to assist operators 

in the Seattle, Chicago and 

Washington, D.C. metropolitan 

areas. 

Textron Aviation announced in late 

January it has bolstered its customer 

service with the launch of 1Call, providing 

a single, worldwide point of 

contact for Beechcraft, Citation and 

Hawker customers during unscheduled 

maintenance events. 

“Our enhanced call center means 

simplified, quick access to Textron 

Aviation’s customer service team,” said 

Brad Thress, senior VP for customer 

service. “From the initial call to 

progress reports to after-service followup, 

customers will encounter a streamlined 

process and level of service.” 

Textron Aviation is particularly 

proud of its comprehensive maintenance 

and support programs across 

the Beechcraft, Citation and Hawker 

platforms, under the ProAdvantage 

umbrella – Power Advantage for 

engines, Pro Parts for parts, and Pro 

Tech for labor programs. Customers 

may also choose from an “a la carte” 

menu or full coverage. 

ProAdvantage is paid for at a flat, 

hourly rate. More than half the current 

Citation fleet is on one program 

or another, and about 700 King Air 

twin turboprops are enrolled. 

Spare Parts Availability Is Key 

Since August last year, Bombardier 

has reduced operating costs by lowering 

the price of approximately 

1,000 business aircraft parts with its 

Parts Price Reduction initiative. The 

company offers a two-year warranty 

and price matching, and has 

increased its international parts presence 

with: increased parts inventory 

in Dubai; added to regional material 

availability in Africa, Europe, the 

Middle East and Russian by 10 percent; 

and increased inventory levels 

in Frankfurt by more than 47 percent. 

Bombardier has two parts distribution 

centers, one each in Chicago and 

Frankfurt, and seven regional depots, 

moving some 70,000 parts a month to 

customers around the world. The 

Customer Response Team Express 

network offers flexibility with access 

to multiple aircraft for simultaneous 

dispatch around the world. The parts 

are back by the company’s Parts 

Satisfaction Guarantee and two-year 

warranty. 

To improve the incidence of no-faultfound 

(NFF) parts and defective-onarrival 

(DOA) parts, Bombardier’s 

Parts Satisfaction Guarantee 

Bombardier will refund the shipping 

and labor charges if a replacement 

unit is needed. 

What’s more, if a Bombardier-recommended 

part doesn’t fix a fault and 

is deemed unnecessary, the company 

will absorb the labor and shipping 

costs incurred to return it. 

Bombardier will even waive its 

restocking fees for any parts returned 

unused that were ordered for resolution 

of an AOG event. 

Spare parts is a significant role in 

any global support effort and part of 

Dassault’s solution is a partnership 

with UPS which houses three spare 

parts delivery facilities in Louisville, 

San Jose and Singapore. The company 

claims a spares service level (line 

items shipped that meet the customer’s 

required-by date) of 98.5 percent. 

Resources available to 

FalconResponse include a global, 

24/7 Falcon Command Center, 

mobile repair teams strategically 

based around the world, and $800 

million in “ready-to-ship” spares 

inventory at 15 spare parts facilities. 

Also involved is the company’s new 

Falcon Airborne Support, a new service 

using a pair of large-cabin 

Falcon 900 aircraft dedicated exclusively 

to AOG support, as well as 

alternative lift for stranded passengers. 

Dassault has 13 spare parts centers 

around the world, from Teterboro 

Airport in New Jersey to 

Johannesburg in South Africa. 

Since 2015, Embraer has been 

implementing an enhanced logistics 

model to achieve even higher fill 

rates by optimizing global parts distribution. 

The company has seven 

parts distribution centers – one in 


Coupled with Bombardier’s industry-leading 

SmartFix Plus trouble 

shooting tools, Smart Link affords 

operators an exceptional degree of 

customization with which to manage 

aircraft data, and features stringent 

safeguards to ensure information 

security and confidentiality of customer 

data. 

Smart Link also encompasses each of 

the aircraft families: Learjet 70 and 

Learjet 75, Challenger models 300, 350, 

604, 605 and 650, and Global 5000 and 

Global 6000 aircraft equipped with 

Bombardier Vision flight deck. 

Brazil, two on each coast of the U.S., 

three in Europe and one in the 

United Arab Emirates. To enhance 

logistics efficiency, Embraer works 

with partners DHL Express and 

Federal Express. 

The business jet manufacturer 

based in Savannah, Georgia has four 

spare parts distribution centers and 

seven forward stocking locations. 

Gulfstream also has parts and materials 

staged at all of its services centers 

– nine in the U.S. and three 

abroad – one in Sorocaba, Brazil, one 

in Beijing, China and one in Luton, 

England. 

At Textron Aviation, parts supply 

and logistics have been consolidated 

into a single system. According to 

Thress, prior to the integration, the 

same-day fill rate for parts was 85 percent 

for Beechcraft and 96 percent for 

Cessna. The combined performance 

improvement is now at 97 percent 

parts availability. 

“We think we’re really pretty good 

with spare parts and parts pools,” said 

Thress. There are five parts distributions 

center world: Beijing, China; 

Dusseldorf, Germany; Sao Paulo, 

Brazil; Singapore; and Wichita, 

Kansas. The value of the total parts 

inventory is approximately $500 million. 

Every company-owned service 

center has parts in stock, those parts 

can be seen through the parts inventory 

management system, and they 

can be shipped from any of the five 

depots. 

Technology On the Cutting Edge 

New technology is everywhere. In 

November last year. Bombardier 

Business Aircraft launched Smart 

Link, a data connectivity, monitoring 

and in-flight reporting service. 

“Technology today is mission-critical 

for global customer support,” said 

Embraer’s Kalister. “Our AHEAD 

(Aircraft Health and Advanced 

Diagnostics) program is based on a 

technology solution to ensure that 

customer support engagement in 

unscheduled events is agile, comprehensive 

and effective.” 

AHEAD was originally developed 

for Embraer’s commercial aircraft 

and subsequently used in development 

of the Embraer Executive Jets’ 

newest business aircraft, the Legacy 

500 and Legacy 450. The system 

delivers maintenance and operational 

support through the integration 

of onboard aircraft systems, 

technical publications and maintenance 

tracking. AHEAD also 

enables the expedited return to service 

through up-to-date information 

available to maintenance teams, the 

service center network and 

Embraer Contact Center. “AHEAD’s 

in-flight advanced notification 

ensures effective troubleshooting, 

supported by prompt 24/7 customer 

support. 

RESOURCES 

Above: Textron 

Aviation is 

proud of its 

maintenance 

and support 

program. 

Center: 

Gulfstream's 

Product Support 

Group at 

Brunswick GA. 

Below: Falcon 

Response 

includes a 

global 24/7 

Falcon 

Command 

Center. 


MAINTENANCE 

Gulfstream is a tech-savvy aircraft 

manufacturer and its PlaneConnect 

air-to-ground program allows inflight 

monitoring its G450, G550, 

G650 and G650ER. Remote diagnosis 

of a problem and the ordering of 

replacement parts can be accomplished 

while the aircraft is still in 

flight, explained Barry Russell, vice 

president of worldwide service center 

operations. 

An enhanced version called 

PlaneConnect HTM (Health and 

Trend Monitoring) is in use with 

the newer G650 and G650ER. It pro- 

TECHNOLOGY 

Above: Technical 

support services 

available 24/7, 

Textron Aviation's 

1 Call team 

oversees every 

step of an 

unscheduled 

maintenance 

event. 

Bottom: 

Gulfstream 

defines the 

industry standard 

with its rapidly 

deployed FAST 

Teams. 

vides near-real-time aircraft condition 

monitoring by recording up to 

10,000 pre-defined parameters such 

as high-priority CAS events and 

engine status. The system transmits 

the information to the operator’s 

maintenance department with an 

operational copy to Gulfstream 

Technical Operations. 

“Technology touches everything we 

do,” said Cessna’s Thress. And the 

biggest technology advance recently 

at Textron Aviation is the opening of 

an e-commerce solution for parts 

transactions. It combines Cessna and 

Beechcraft parts distribution and 

improves the level of service with a 

simple user interface for parts ordering. 

In addition to parts, the customer 

can also access warranty claims. 

New Garmin-equipped aircraft from 

Textron Aviation have an integrated 

multi-level approach to maintenance 

and diagnostics for improved troubleshooting. 

The system e-mails a 

plain English CAS message in flight 

to whomever the owner wants to 

receive it, such as the maintenance 

director of the Textron Aviations 

(TxtAv) support team. 

“We also have a proprietary datarecording 

system called AReS,” said 

Thress. “With it, if we get notification 

that an annunciator went off, we have 

a lot of information to help troubleshoot 

the system.” 

Keeping Up With 

Regulatory Issues 

Government regulations are an evergrowing 

challenge worldwide and 

maintenance, global support and 

spare parts are not immune. 

NexGen and SESAR regulations/ 

mandates, such as Automatic 

Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast 

(ADS-B) Out and Future Air 

Navigation System datalink (FANS) 

1/A+ have impacted the entire aviation 

industry. 

Bombardier has actively addressed 

these regulatory requirement 

issues. “We’re worked closely 

with our entire operator base and 

identified cost-effective solutions for 

each platform to ensure the continued 

airworthiness of all our aircraft,” 

said Nureddin. And to help 

its customers comply with the new 

aviation standards, Bombardier 

offers the ADS-B Out training courses 

to provide instruction to fulfill the 

requirements of EASA 20-24 and 

FAA AC99-114. 

Gulfstream has made 

NexGen/SESAR-compliant equipment 

standard on new aircraft and is 

working to provide operators with 

hardware and software upgrades that 

satisfy mandates on all in-service aircraft. 

“We are now working with our 

operators to make sure they are 

informed and help them become 

compliant,” declared Gulfstream’s 

Russell. 

On the after-market side, Textron 

Aviation also sees the next regulatory 

challenge emerging from NextGen. 

“These regulations are coming in 

waves and a couple of them took 

effect last year, including TCAS II, 

version 7.1,” said Thress. “We were 

able to find solutions for aircraft in 

Europe before it hit [and] later, 

Australia issued a form of ADS-B Out 

and we were able to make another 

solution available quickly.” And he 

added, “With nearly 7,0000 Citations 

and 2,500 Hawkers in service, we 

have a dedicated engineering group 

developing solutions.” 

“It wasn’t so long ago that most of 

the business aviation traffic was centered 

in the U.S. and Europe,” said a 

Dassault Spokesman. “Now the paradigm 

has changed with increased 

trade.” 

At the end of the day, Thress, put it 

succinctly. He allows as how supporting 

the customer doesn’t mean mere 

quality service, but also how that service 

is delivered. “A direct relationship 

with the customer is always the 

best relationship.” 

✈ 


MAINTENANCE 

GLOBAL ECONOMY AFFECTS U.S. 

MAINTENANCE SPECIALISTS 

"AS THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 

evolves, so does the business aviation 

industry," said Kevin Thomas, senior 

vp of Chicago-based business development 

& strategic planning for Jet 

Support services, Inc. (JSSI). And he 

added, "At JSSI, we bring our service to 

our customers by placing our employees 

near them, all over the world." 

and become smarter and more accurate 

with maintenance coverage. 

Also important is the matter of 

where the aircraft will be maintained 

and manpower availability. "While 

Business Aviation is well established 

in mature markets such as North 

America and Europe, personnel with 

requisite expertise must be imported 

Used aircraft sales are also a force 

in the maintenance business and 

Elliott keeps a finger on the pulse of 

the market. "During a sale, aircraft 

are getting pre-buy inspections and 

getting retrofits at the time of purchase." 

And he, like other maintenance 

specialists, also point to ADS- 

B mandates. More out of the ordinary 

regulatory changes are avionics 

obsolescence. For example, 

CRTs (cathode ray tubes) in many 

older aircraft are becoming obsolete 

and as they fail, they are being 

Among considerations in the 

growth of Business Aviation maintenance 

is the recent drop in fuel 

prices that has lowered aircraft operating 

costs in some regions. These 

lower operating costs encourage the 

repositioning of aircraft to more 

desirable facilitoes. On the other 

hand, some operators have agreements 

with facilities in return for better 

terms, which can have an impact 

beyond fuel cost savings. 

Another point on the subject of a 

growing global market is keeping up 

with customs and import/export 

requirements. Keeping up with 

these issues is a key to the parts 

business in today's world, and JSSI 

and other major players in the world 

of business jet maintenance are 

seeking to improve those processes 

in every country. 

Data acquisition systems that provide 

the capability to auto-download 

engine and airframe data were formerly 

available only in high-end 

business jets. Today, these systems 

are available in smaller, less expensive 

aircraft. This allows maintenance 

centers to provide forecasting 

to those regionals that are fairly new 

to the industry," explained Thomas. 

"But while manpower is relatively 

cheap in a particular country, the 

cost of importing the aviation expertise 

needed is much higher and must 

be taken into consideration.” 

According to JSSI, the EASA designation 

of a Continuing Airworthiness 

Management Organizations 

(CAMO) to coordinate compliance 

of aircraft with maintenance programs, 

airworthiness directives and 

service bulletins is a matter of growing 

concern. Unfortunately, added 

Thomas, "Some CAMOS do not 

always have the best interest of the 

customer in mind, and in some 

cases, the CAMO receives incentives 

and rewards for sending aircraft to a 

particular MRO facility, or for ordering 

a part from a particular vendor.” 

At Elliot Aviation, the Moline, 

Illinois-based maintenance leader 

sees flying hours as the main driver 

influencing business. "Where there 

is a demand for flying, there is a 

demand for business aviation," said 

Mark Wilkin, vp of avionics programs 

and operational logistics. 

replaced by newer technology. The 

alternative is to ground the aircraft. 

"Our two newest programs are the 

Garmin G5000 and the 400E program 

for the Beechjet and Hawker 

400XP aircraft," said Wilkin. Not 

only is the G5000 a major upgrade, 

but it can provide 400XP customers 

200 pounds or more useful load 

increase. 

Elliott is offering customers a 15- 

day guaranteed downtime for the 

complete retrofit and onsite training. 

Certification of the system is expected 

in the spring of 2016. 

Wilkin said Elliott has seen positive 

growth in aircraft maintenance over 

the past five years and added, "We 

expect 2016 to continue that trend for 

maintenance and refurbishments." 

It is a track similar to that of JSSI, 

with whom Elliott is a an occasional 

partner. "Over the past 10 years, 

JSSI has continued to grow and lead 

the industry with the most comprehensive 

and innovative hourly cost 

maintenance as we evolve into a total 

solutions provider," concluded 

Thomas. 

✈ 


10 years 

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SMS implementation support 

Management 

Process Development 

MELs and technical 

publishing 

Your Swiss Partner 

for Aviation Safety and Compliance... 

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CONNECTIVITY 

BUSINESS CONNECTIVITY 

USERS FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED 

A 

s fighter ace Maverick said in 

the 1980’s cult film Top Gun: “I 

feel the need. The need for 

speed”. 

And when it comes to their inflight 

internet connectivity, business aviation 

passengers feel the need too. 

They only demand one thing on 

their aircraft – to be able to use the 

internet in the air, at the same speeds 

they can use on the ground. Plus they 

want VPN access, streaming video, 

teleconferencing and VOIP phone 

calls, which is a tall order. 

Speaking at the recent Bahrain Air 

Show, Derek Donahue, Satcom 

Direct’s regional director for Eastern 

Europe, Middle East and Africa, 

(EEMEA), said: “We anticipate that 

Steve Nichols evaluates 

latest developments and 

future of in-flight 

connectivity services, 

with insights from 

the industry 

HIGH-TECH 

Inmarsat I-5 

satellite is being 

built at Boeing 

(top). 

Satcom Direct's 

Derek Donahue 

(center). 

Honeywell 

MCS-800 

antenna 

(bottom). 

in 2016 our clients will want more of 

everything – speed, bandwidth, 

applications – and will use our 

inflight tools even more intensely.” 

“We predict a subtle shift in 

expectations as passengers and 

crew see using their phone, internet, 

streaming TV, or accurately 

recording the aircraft’s activity, as 

the norm, not a luxury. We are 

readying ourselves for this 

increased activity and look forward 

to offering our existing, and new, 

customers an even better connectivity 

experience.” 

The main key to this speed hike is 

the increasing availability of faster 

Ka-band services over the next few 

years. With its higher radio frequencies 

(26.5–40 GHz) you can get a 10- 

20x speed hike compared with current 

Ku-band systems and up to 40x 

more than SwiftBroadband (Lband). 

Satcom Direct is gearing up for the 

full global launch of Inmarsat’s Jet 

ConneX service via its Global 

Xpress Ka-band I-5 satellites. 

The company was one of the first 

providers to verify the functionality 

of its aero network and software services 

over the Inmarsat I-5 network. 

It conducted tests at its international 

headquarters in Farnborough, UK, 

via the initial Inmarsat I-5 satellite 

(F1), now in service over Europe, 

the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. 


CONNECTIVITY 

DISPLAY 

ViaSat's 

James Person 

is seen with 

diminutive 

Ka-band tail 

mounted 

antenna. 

“Being the first in Business 

Aviation to prove our technologies 

over Inmarsat’s Ka-band network 

demonstrates that not only does 

Satcom Direct deliver what flight 

departments need now, we’re preparing 

for the future so that when operators 

transition to these new networks, 

the value added services they 

utilize are in place,” said Donahue. 

Donahue said interest in Jet 

ConneX was high, especially with 

VVIP and head of state (HOS) users 

in the Middle East. 

We are trying to pick early 

adopters who may benefit from the 

advantages that GX can bring,” he 

said. “A lot of potential new customers 

across Europe and Russia 

have also expressed interest.” 

Donahue said that there is a lot of 

STC development work that needs to 

be completed before GX becomes 

commonplace on VVIP aircraft (an 

STC has been granted on the B757 – 

Honeywell’s test bed aircraft) and 

installation costs are not insignificant. 

“To retrofit GX on a Boeing BBJ, 

for example, is likely to cost around 

$750,000-$1m,” he said. 

Jet ConneX is still on course for its 

formal global launch some time in 

the first half of 2016. The three 

Inmarsat I-5 satellites are in position 

and have now achieved global service 

introduction, and STC work on 

the fuselage-mounted Honeywell 

MCS-8200 and tail-mounted MCS- 

8000 antennas is ongoing. 

And Inmarsat has plans for even 

more Ka-band satellites. The fourth 

is already being prepared at 

Boeing’s El Segundo plant near Los 

Angeles for a Q3 2016 launch and in 

December it announced that Airbus 

Defence and Space had been awarded 

a contract to design and develop 

the first two next-generation 

Inmarsat-6 (I-6) mobile communications 

satellites in a contract valued 

in the region of $600M ( 550M). 

I-6 F1 and F2 will carry a large 9m 

aperture L-band antenna and nine 

multi-beam Ka-band antennas, with 

first satellite (I-6 F1) scheduled for 

launch in 2020. 

A new-generation modular digital 

processor will provide full routing 

flexibility over up to 8,000 channels 

and be dynamically steerable over 

the full Earth disk, with flexible 

channel-to-beam allocation. 

Other companies are working 

on GX equipment and STCs for 

the Business Aviation community. 

EAD Aerospace, an Eclipse 

company, says it is working with 

two MRO companies to develop 

EASA Supplemental Type 

Certificates (STC) for 

Honeywell’s JetWave hardware 

for Inmarsat’s GX Aviation connectivity. 

The STCs will cover MCS-8200 

installations on Airbus A320 family 

aircraft, A330, A340 and also 

Boeing 777. The current projects 

are all for undisclosed Middle 

Eastern customers. 

EAD Aerospace says its SUMS 

(Satcom Universal Mounting 

System) approach to certification 

prioritizes safety, flexibility and 

decreased weight. With minimal 

intrusion to the structure of the 

aircraft during installation, the 

EAD Aerospace SUMS solution 

will make removal of the antenna 

in the case of a leased airframe 

much easier. 

All STCs are being developed 

concurrently and the first is 

planned to be completed by the 

summer of 2016. 

Business operators in the 

Americas also have access to Kaband 

technology from a different 

supplier. 

James Person, Viasat’s Director, 

Global Business Development, 

General Aviation, said at EBACE 

2015 in Geneva that the demand 

for more and more bandwidth 

from business users has become 

insatiable. 

“They want to be able to do everything 

in the air that they can do on 

the ground. With our ViaSat ‘Exede 

in the Air’ service and its smaller 

dish they can get a multi-megabit 

experience.” 

ViaSat’s tiny tail-mount antenna is 

only 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, 

but can deliver multi-Megabit 

speeds. At its ground-based demonstration 

at EBACE it was delivering 

data speeds of 8.83Mbps down and 

3.2Mbps up using Eutelsat’s KA- 

SAT satellite. 

“We expect to get the whole system 

certified by the end of the first 

quarter of 2016. We’ll start with 

Gulfstreams and add Bombardier, 

Boeing BBJ, Cessna, Dassault and 

Embraer shortly after. 

“What is important is those multi 

megabit speeds are very sustainable,” 

said Person. “Each of our spot 

beams can handle a total of around 

1,000Mbps, so any aircraft may only 

be using less than three percent of a 

beam’s total capacity.” 

ViaSat is also obtaining STCs for 

its first fuselage-mounted Global 

Aero Terminal 5320 Ku/Ka combined 

array. This will suit larger 

VVIP aircraft such as the Airbus 

ACJ and Boeing BBJ and will allow 

users to switch between Ku and Ka 

coverage depending upon their location. 

This brings the best of both worlds 

to business users who want to 

ensure they have high-speed connectivity 

all the time, with fall-back 

to other satellites if need be. 

And as new satellites come online, 

such as Intelsat’s Ku-band EpicNG 


High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) 

range mentioned later, it just adds 

to the choices that are available to 

VVIP and HOS users. 

ViaSat announced in November 

that it has also partnered with Jet 

Aviation St. Louis to develop the 

first-ever hybrid Ku/Ka-band 

radome for Gulfstream’s large cabin 

business jets, starting with the 

Gulfstream G550. 

The agreement covers collaboration 

on both the new dual-band 

radome and associated 

Supplemental Type Certificate 

(STC). The radome will support 

both the ViaSat 30cm tail-mount Kuband 

antenna and its advanced Kaband 

antenna separately or in a dual 

configuration. 

It also announced that it was working 

with Rockwell Collins to integrate 

its ViaSat VMT-1500 terminal 

and global Ku-band internet service 

with Rockwell Collins’ eRouter 

(ERT-120) and iARINCDirect flight 

support services, bringing comprehensive 

cabin and cockpit connectivity 

capabilities to business aviation 

operators. 

But just what is the company’s Kaband 

coverage like? 

ViaSat-1’s Ka-band service covers 

North and South America, plus 

Europe is covered through a roaming 

agreement with Eutelsat and its 

KA-SAT satellite. 

“This covers more than 85% of all 

business aviation routes at this 

time,” Person added. “We intend to 

roll-out further Ka-band coverage 

over time, just as cellphone operators 

have expanded their coverage.” 

And that’s exactly what ViaSat is 

doing. The ViaSat-2 satellite will be 

launched by SpaceX later in 2016, 

with an in-service date of early 

2017, and expand coverage over 

the Atlantic Ocean, plus add additional 

capacity over Canada and 

Central America. 

Don Buchman, ViaSat’s Director 

of Mobile Broadband, said that 

ViaSat-2 will have double the 

throughput capacity of ViaSat-1, 

from 140 Gbps to 280 Gbps. 

“ViaSat-2 will really open up 

routes down to the Caribbean, 

Mexico, North and South America, 

plus the trans-Atlantic paths. That 

covers the lion’s share of many 

common aircraft routes,” 

Buchman said. 

“But we have plenty more in the 

pipeline. We’re talking about 

ViaSat-3 now, which is step change 

yet again in terms of throughput. 

“This will be a ‘visible earth’ 

satellite offering full coverage 

from its geostationary position. 

The goal is to have three such 

satellites in position to cover the 

entire globe,” Buchman said. 

ViaSat-3, which will launch 

around the 2019 timeframe, will 

offer a total of 1,000 Gbps (1 

Terrabit) throughput. 

“It will also offer smart capacity 

with the ability to focus its spot 

beams where capacity is actually 

needed,” Buchman said. “So we 

will eventually have a three-satellite 

ViaSat-3 constellation – one 

over the Americas, the second 

over Europe and the third over 

Asia-Pacific. 

“This will give us global highspeed 

connectivity. There is a lot 

of demand out there and aviation 

plays a big part in that. We’ve 

been in this business a long 

while, but the demand has turned 

out to be phenomenal. 

“We are seeing high demand 

from existing customers that want 

to deploy ViaSat’s global highcapacity 

internet service for business 

applications like Voice over 

IP, VPN connectivity and highdefinition 

conference calls,” he 

said. 

There could also be another Kaband 

provider in a few years time. 

Abu Dhabi-based satellite operator 

Yahsat said in November that 

it is to trial inflight connectivity 

via its Ka-band satellites aboard 

an Etihad A320 aircraft. 

Mubadala-owned Yahsat says its 

Ka-band capacity could provide 

higher speeds and cheaper rates 

compared with other Ku-band 

inflight connectivity systems, 

offering speeds of up to 50 Mbps 

to the plane. 

Yahsat CEO Massood Mahmood 

said at the Dubai Airshow that it 

was early days for the trial and 

the final details had not been 

worked out. He added that Yahsat 

was looking at a number of 

options including different configurations, 

dual Ku/Ka-band antennas 

and coverage, and potential 

partnerships with others in the 

sector. 

“We’ve been looking at the possibility 

of inflight connectivity 

over Yahsat’s satellites for some 

time,” Mahmood said. “We now 

have extensive experience of providing 

Ka-band coverage to a wide 

range of users, including the UAE 

government and military. 

“That knowledge has proved 

invaluable for this next phase of 

our development – it’s a very 

exciting time.” 

Yahsat is looking at a number of 

options, including using Ku-band 

satellites to fill in the gaps where 

there is no Ka coverage. He said 

satellite operator SES could be a 

suitable partner to do just that. 

And like ViaSat with its Ku-Ka 

antenna, Yahsat is talking to potential 

partners about developing its 

own dual antenna solution. 

EXPANSION 

Panasonic 

Avionics' 

David Bruner 

anticipates a 

growing 

demand for 

Ku-band HTS 

capacities. 


CONNECTIVITY 

TEAMWORK 

ViaSat is 

working with 

Rockwell Collins 

to create a 

better on-board 

connectivity 

capability. 

The company’s first satellite, 

Yahsat Y1A, was launched in April 

2011, and the second, Y1B, in April 

2012. Yahsat will launch its third 

satellite, Al Yah 3, by the end of 

2016, extending its coverage to 

Brazil and an additional 16 markets 

across Africa. 

Collectively, these will provide 

Ka-band coverage over Africa, 

Latin America, and South-West 

Asia. A partnership deal with SES 

on a future Ka-band satellite could 

add Europe and Africa. 

While the current trial is focused 

on providing Ka-band connectivity 

to the air transport market, Yahsat 

has not ruled out providing the 

service to business users. The 

massive Gulf-based VVIP Business 

Aviation market could then make 

use of the STCs obtained for their 

air transport cousins. 

But Ku-band satellites can also 

provide megabit, or even multimegabit 

speeds. And this bandwidth 

is likely to get even greater 

with the launch of Intelsat’s nextgeneration 

EpicNG satellites. 

These High-Throughput 

Satellites (HTS) feature highpower 

spot beams that should 

boost the data rates available. 

The first EpicNG satellite to be 

lofted which was due to be 

launched from Kourou as the feature 

was being written. Full entry 

to service is planned for quarter 

two. 

James Collett, Director Mobility 

Services at Intelsat, said: “The 

satellite will cover the Americas, 

plus important trans-Atlantic 

routes, from its 310 degree East 

[50 degrees west] position” he 

said. “And hot on its heels will be 

Intelsat 33e, which is due to 

launch in the second half of 2016.” 

Intelsat-33e will sit at 60 degrees 

East and cover Europe, Africa and 

Asia. 

“We have four further EpicNG 

satellites planned for launch 

between 2016 and 2019,” Collett 

said. “The combined effect will be 

to double the capacity of our existing 

fleet.” 

EpicNG will feature both wide 

and spot beams, giving a total 

capacity of about 25-60Gbps per 

satellite. This translates to around 

200Mbps per spot beam with the 

new high throughout satellite 

(HTS) services. 

“This is a leap up from the less 

than 10Gbps available currently,” 

Collett said. “The other important 

aspect of EpicNG is that we are 

putting the capacity just where it is 

needed, especially over high-density 

air traffic routes. 

“We are sticking with Ku as it 

has a lot of momentum in the 

inflight connectivity market and no 

hardware upgrades will be needed 

to take advantage of the higher 

throughout.” 

Another big development on the 

Ku-band front late last year was 

news that Panasonic Avionics is to 

enter the Business Aviation market 

with its inflight connectivity 

products. 

It has joined forces with 

Astronics AeroSat to bring highspeed 

inflight connectivity services 

and global live television programming 

to the business and 

VVIP aviation market. 

Astronics Aerosat says it will use 

its tail-mounted Ku-band antenna 

with Panasonic’s Global 

Communications Services to offer 

high-speed internet, four channels 

of global television services and 

regional DBS-TV programming. 

But why did Panasonic decide to 

break into the Business Aviation 

market now? David Bruner, 

Vice President of Global 

Communications Services for 

Panasonic Avionics, said: “We’ve 

looked at this market for quite 

some time. From a network design 

perspective, we’ve had the ability 

to serve the Business Aviation 

community with global coverage 

for several years now. 

“What we needed from a technology 

perspective was a robust tailmount 

antenna with performance 

that meets the requirements of 

this demanding customer group. 

“Our agreement with Astronics 

to use their T-Series tail-mount 

antenna gives us that critical piece 

of technology we need to deliver a 

superior service into this market,” 

Bruner added. 

“The other major factor is the 

introduction of the new Ku-band 

HTS capacity worldwide, layered 

on top of our already global coverage, 

which allows us to offer true 

broadband guaranteed data rates 

virtually everywhere these types of 

aircraft fly.” 

Bruner said that customers operating 

globally, who have “experienced 

the most deficient service” 

will benefit most immediately. 

He added that the massive Kuband 

capacity coming online in 

North America and in the 

Europe/Middle East regions will 

offer broadband service levels 

unheard of in Business Aviation. 

✈ 


We’re more than satcom. 

We’re global connectivity. 

At Satcom Direct ® , the spirit of innovation is both our heritage and our future. 

We have a history of solving the unsolvable and bringing you the 

latest innovations in secured communications for business aviation. 

We’ve been Satcom Direct since 1997, and now we’re even more. 

We invite you to be part of the evolution of SD. Let’s fly. 

www.satcomdirect.com | +1 321.777.3000 | sales@satcomdirect.com

FROM THE COCKPIT 

ARE WE 

TEACHING PIC? 

LeRoy Cook reflects on the 

tough aspect of pilot judgment 

and decision making in 

unfamiliar situations 

PRAISE 

Captain 

Sullenberger 

and First Officer 

Skiles are 

credited with 

saving 155 lives 

in Airbus A320 

seen above. 

T 

hroughout a pilot’s developing 

career, it is important to foster 

the growth of pilot in command 

capability. This begins with the transition 

to a solo-authorized student pilot, 

then achieving the private pilot 

license, and continuing into commercial 

pilot status with successive 

upgrades. All too often, we are concerned 

with meeting legal minimum 

standards, pushing applicants 

through the syllabus as efficiently as 

possible. But, overriding all other 

concerns should be: making the 

trainee capable of being pilot in command. 

At some point, we must convert 

them from pliant trainees to decision 

makers — often a new experience for 

someone who has been under the 

strict control of a training program. 

As instructors and evaluators, we 

must be watching for independent 

decision-making, not just rote procedural 

compliance. What will this 

apprentice do when faced with a challenge? 

Yes, it is important to reach for the 

checklist, or complete the memory 

items as appropriate to the situation. 

More so is recognizing the need for 

such action, and making sure it’s the 

correct response. When US Airways 

Flight 1549 suffered dual flameouts 

from goose ingestion over New York 

City on 15 January 2009, First Officer 

Jeffery Skiles automatically retrieved 

the emergency restart checklist and 

began working it, even before Captain 

Chesley Sullenberger, as PIC, called 

for it. Because he had been taught to 

be PIC himself, Skiles knew his job. 

From The Beginning 

PIC training starts early, and continues 

with each flight. A PIC has total 

responsibility for the safe conduct of a 

flight. He or she can, and should, 

refuse to take an airplane into the air 

that fails to pass a critical preflight 

inspection. The weather must meet 

the standards required by the flight 

be it local or across a continent, strictly 

VMC or IMC, day or night, with 

passengers or crew only, in crosswind 

or down the runway. Even a student 

pilot has authority to make these 

decisions, when operating solo in the 

aircraft. 

In many cases, a flight academy 

places aircraft on the line and the student 

assumes the maintenance crew 

has given it its blessing. It’s presumed 

to be airworthy, or the school 


or CFI wouldn’t have okayed its use. 

However, I’m always proud of a student 

who brings a plane back from 

the run-up ramp because a fault was 

found during the pre-takeoff check. 

An excessive RPM drop or spongy 

brake might be justifiable for a short 

flight on my own, but when the student 

takes the correct action I know 

he’s becoming a PIC. 

As preparation for a flight check, I 

will purposely ask a trainee to perform 

a stall at less than 1,500 feet 

AGL. When he does a perfect, textbook-choreographed 

stall, I tell him 

that it was unacceptable, and of 

course he wants to know why. I point 

to the altimeter needle and tell him: 

“You should have refused my 

request and told me you needed to 

climb to a safe altitude before proceeding.” 

The issue is not compliance 

with checkride procedures, I 

stress, but the need to have enough 

altitude in case the stall doesn’t go as 

planned. He or she must be PIC, not 

just on checkrides or under tutelage, 

but on every flight when in charge of 

the aircraft. Questioning authority in 

the interest of safety is a responsibility 

of the PIC. 

PIC status is an awesome obligation. 

Innocent lives will — not may or 

might, but WILL — be in the hands of 

the pilot. To continue on in the face of 

danger, to accept an unairworthy aircraft, 

to flaunt inconvenient regulations, 

to abdicate weather or fuel load 

decisions to a briefer or dispatcher — 

these are signs that we have a pilot 

who’s not fully in command. The ultimate 

PIC is the person who exercises 

PIC authority to meet a PIC responsibility. 

needing a ride back to base, after several 

attempts to land in a 25-knot 

crosswind resulted in go-arounds. In 

all these cases, the aircraft and its 

occupants were safe, in spite of a 

threatening situation that might have 

snared a less-wary pilot. 

A pilot once told me, with a certain 

measure of pride, that he brought our 

airplane back from a weather-plagued 

trip by flying at 500-feet AGL for the 

last few miles. Instead of the congratulatory 

kudo he expected, I told him I 

would’ve have been prouder if he had 

called me to pick him up at the last 

airport he flew past while he still had 

acceptable weather. By pressing on, 

he only proved he was good at holding 

altitude and heading with precision. 

He was not showing himself 

worthy of being PIC, where decisions, 

not vacillation, are required. 

Where does PIC training start? 

From the earliest student-pilot days. 

It’s normal for beginners to defer to 

the vaunted experience in the right 

seat, from which they have grown to 

expect direction and judgment calls. 

A good CFI will wait for an appropri- 

I find an appalling lack of fully-PIC 

training in new pilot logbooks. The 

minimally-required number of hours 

spent in solo practice is insufficient to 

build decision-making. Operating on 

one’s own forces PIC status on the student 

and creates a PIC mentality, out of 

necessity. Students should not be 

short-cutted into the next phase of 

training without time to develop. When 

I see easy solo cross-country flights 

that merely repeat the path of the dual 

cross-country training, I have to wonder 

if the trainee is capable of making 

PIC decisions in unfamiliar situations. 

Role-modeling is part of PIC training. 

When I cancel a trip, I talk about it with 

every low-time pilot I meet that day, 

and I tell them exactly why I didn’t go. 

It’s important for them to know that 

grown-up pilots can, and should, refuse 

to go at times. As an experienced PIC, 

do not set the wrong example by 

stretching limits of weather, loading or 

airworthiness. What beginners see you 

do, they’ll try to emulate someday. 

Freedom is the payoff for achieving 

PIC status. Unlike military and airline 

pilots, we in general aviation are free 

Taking Charge 

A MetroJet B-737 captain refused a 

takeoff clearance on a foggy night in 

December, 1999 at Providence, 

Rhode Island, because there was 

another aircraft on the tower frequency 

whose location on the airport after 

landing was unverified. As it turned 

out, the other airplane was sitting on 

the active runway, unseen by the 

tower controller. And there was a 

commuter airliner that showed up 

unscheduled at our little airport one 

day, seeking additional fuel because 

the captain noticed the transfer 

pumps weren’t feeding. And a private 

pilot called me from a satellite field, 

ate amount of time before issuing 

directions, seeing if the student will 

act on his or her own. I seldom see 

even high-time students initiate a goaround 

from a poorly-executed 

approach. They’ll wait for the CFI to 

call the wave-off, as if they were thinking 

“he’s not saying anything, so he 

must want me to keep going.” 

Instead, I would like to see them 

abort on their own and then tell me 

what they’re going to do differently 

on the next try. That’s a sign that they 

are beginning to take charge and are 

well on their way to becoming pilots 

in command. 

to launch a flight on our own recognizance, 

without support from 

Operations or Dispatch. That freedom 

to light up and slip the surly 

bonds carries a price. The responsibility 

for the outcome of the flight is 

totally ours, requiring constant crosschecking 

and evaluation as the trip 

proceeds. Making PIC decisions is 

what it’s all about, and students aren’t 

going to learn that unless they are 

shown. We can’t expect them to 

assume aviation adulthood without 

providing a transition from dependency 

as part of their training. 

✈ 

LIABILITY 

PICs ought to 

watch for 

independent 

decisionmaking, 

not just 

rote procedural 

compliance. 


SAFETY SENSE 

SUDDENLY IN 

TROUBLE 

Michael R. Grüninger 

and Capt. Carl C. Norgren share 

real life experiences and lessons 

on flight safety challenges, 

pre-flight calculations 

Going with the flow 

In Basel runway 15 is the main 

landing runway. When ATC 

advised the crew that a take-off 

from runway 33 was possible, but 

would imply a delay of over half an 

hour, the commander decided 

against runway 33 and opted for 

runway 15 where no delays were 

expected. 

The Belair aircraft then commenced 

taxiing. At this stage, the 

crew tried again to get runway 33 

again, but it became obvious why 

the take-off had to be performed 

from runway 15. There was simply 

too much landing traffic on runway 

15 and all preceding departures 

THREAT 

Commander 

and First Officer 

of Belair flight 

BHP 2532 faced 

challenge when 

taking off the 

A320-214. 

Plan the flight 

The weather in Basel on this early 

afternoon of 06 October 2014 was 

excellent. The air was 20°C warm 

under a blue sky just sprinkled with a 

few clouds. There was no significant 

wind. 

The Airbus 320-214 was still at the 

gate while the Commander and the 

First Officer of Belair flight BHP 2532 

were preparing the cockpit for a flight 

to Djerba, Tunisia. 

The crew discussed which runway 

to use. 

Initially they wanted to use Runway 

33’s total available runway length of 

3900 m. 

The commander was meticulous in 

preparation. Various take-off scenarios 

were prepared. The crew calculated 

the take-off data for a full length 

runway 33 and 15 departure. In addition, 

the commander calculated the 

take-off data for an intersection takeoff 

at Golf on runway 15 on his EFB 

and the co-pilot prepared a take-off 

from the Hotel intersection on runway 

15 on his EFB. 

The Flight Management and 

Guidance System (FMGS) allows two 

different flight routes to be entered. 

The crew loaded a full-length runway 

15 departure into the primary flight 

plan and a full-length runway 33 

departure in the secondary flight 

plan. 

The crew briefed for take-off while 

still standing at the gate. The briefing 

on that particular day covered a fulllength 

take-off on runway 15 and a 

take-off on runway 33 from Delta 

intersection. Neither of the two intersections 

Gold and Hotel on runway 15 

were mentioned. 

were taking place towards the 

south-est. 

The Belair aircraft gave way to an 

Easyjet Airbus which then departed 

from intersection Golf of runway 15. 

At this stage the Commander of the 

Belair flight decided to follow his peer 

and proposed to ATC that they too 

could take-off from intersection Golf. 

He was assuming that the aircraft in 

approach to runway 15 would land 

first. 


Surprisingly ATC cleared BHP 2532 

for take-off before the next landing 

aircraft. Time was suddenly in short 

supply and the crew lined-up on runway 

15 and performed a rolling takeoff. 

At V1 the commander noted that 

the acceleration was slower than 

usual and that the end of the runway 

was approaching fast. He realized 

that the safety of the flight was 

at risk. Suddenly the flight was in 

danger. The commander applied 

TOGA power. Simultaneously he 

checked on his EFB, where a Golf 

intersection take-off had already 

been calculated, whether the aircraft 

was already fast enough for 

rotation. He rotated. 

The climb was uneventful and the 

flight continued to Djerba. 

Changing the plan 

The crew had prepared the flight 

thoroughly. 

They had calculated multiple takeoff 

scenarios for take-off and all data 

was in the FMS or in their EFBs. 

Despite the good preparation, events 

unfolded not as expected. As the crew 

tried to speed up departure, and ATC 

provided them a take-off clearance 

ahead of the expected moment, the 

crew was suddenly put in a state of 

hurry. 

The ideal sequence of actions 

required a certain amount of time. 

for reasons of operational efficiency. 

The pre-flight calculations had 

ascertained that the accelerate-stop 

distance did not exceed the accelerate-stop 

distance available (ASDA) as 

required by the regulations 

(CAT.POL.A.205). By suddenly 

changing the plan last minute, the 

flight was put at peril. 

Researchers suggest that pilots 

should treat interruptions, suspending 

tasks, deferring tasks or performing 

tasks out of normal sequence as 

red flags. 

Streamlining and expediting 

Streamlining flight operations and 

performing tasks expeditiously is 

part of the daily routine of every airline 

commander. Time is money and 

passengers expect flights to operate 

to published schedules. This results 

in constant time pressure and air 

crews aim to fit into the flow of 

other traffic as well as possible. 

Nobody wants to obstruct others 

or to be obstructed unnecessarily. 

But time pressure is an old enemy 

of flight safety. In this particular 

case, the crew let time pressure and 

the wish to go with the flow affect 

the safety of their operation. 

Such streamlining happened in a 

context where procedures did not 

effectively prevent errors to happen. 

The investigation highlighted 

three contributing factors: 

❍ Procedures which required the 

checking of essential items in 

silence. Without verbalization crosschecking 

could not take place in the 

spirit of a closed loop. 

❍ The decision to perform an intersection 

take-off was made at very 

short notice without consideration 

of the time required for a re-briefing. 

❍ Additional cross-checking of the 

data entered into the flight guidance 

system during the line up, 

which had been introduced by the 

company 6 months earlier, was 

ineffective because the flight crew 

were unaware of this new procedure. 

That time was simply not available 

any longer. 

Human factor researchers have dispelled 

the myth that multitasking 

comes easily to humans. 

The Belair crew found themselves in 

a situation where they had to taxi, lineup 

and perform a take-off before they 

were able to complete all FMGS 

changes. This typical multitasking situation 

created vulnerability to error. 

The situation would have been mitigated 

were the procedures designed to 

accommodate multitasking situations. 

Instead of fostering cross-checks 

with a closed loop logic, the operator’s 

silent cockpit philosophy separated 

the pilots from each other. The 

erroneous take-off power setting 

remained undetected. Only the commander’s 

experience in judging distances 

and his disposition to react 

swiftly prevented a bigger tragedy. 

Fly the plan 

The tragic aspect of this serious 

incident is characterized by the 

good preparation which vanished 

The next simple way to mitigating 

multitasking risks is to use solid procedures. 

The simplest way to return 

to a standard situation is to stop and 

take the time to fix the issues. 

But stopping while cleared for takeoff 

is a hard decision to take for a 

pilot who wants to fit smoothly into 

the flow. 

✈ 

Michael R. Grüninger is Managing 

Director of Great Circle Services 

(GCS) Safety Solutions and Capt. Carl 

C. Norgren is a freelance contributor to 

Safety Sense. GCS assists in the whole 

range of planning and management 

issues, offering customized solutions to 

strengthen the position of a business in 

the aviation market. Its services 

include training and auditing (IS- 

BAO, IOSA), consultancy, manual 

development and process engineering. 

GCS can be reached at www.gcs-safety.com 

and +41-41 460 46 60. The column 

Safety Sense appears regularly in 

BART International since 2007. 

DANGER 

Time pressure 

and multitasking 

risks are 

enemies of 

aviation safety. 


HONDAJET 

HONDA AIRCRAFT 

CELEBRATES ITS FIRST 

HONDAJET DELIVERY 

Volker K. Thomalla takes a 

close look at HondaJet’s 

industrial revival 

with its first delivery 

of advanced light jet 

that Honda Aircraft would be able to 

deliver the first HA-420 HondaJet to 

a customer before the end of the 

year. He had all reasons for his optimism, 

because the new aircraft type 

had received provisional type certification 

from the FAA on March 27, 

2015 and had completed all FAA 

Part 23 certification flight testing in 

October. The flight test program 

had exceeded 3000 flight hours and 

was conducted at more than 70 locations 

in the United States. Both program 

milestones, the certification 

and the first delivery, were met as 

promised. 

ENTHUSIASM 

Delivery of the 

first HondaJet to 

an excitedly 

awaiting new 

owner in 

North Carolina. 

H 

onda Aircraft has handed over 

the first HondaJet to a customer 

on December 23. The light jet is 

fully packed with innovations for 

greater comfort, speed and efficiency. 

But the road to certification and first 

customer delivery has been far longer 

than expected at program launch. 

Now, Honda Aircraft is ramping up 

production. 

At last year’s NBAA in November 

in Las Vegas, Honda Aircraft 

President and CEO, Michimasa 

Fujino, was very optimistic that the 

final type certification from the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) would be awarded to Honda 

Aircraft before the end of 2015 and 


On December 8, 2015, the HondaJet 

received final type certification from 

the FAA. More than 2000 people were 

present at Honda Aircraft’s World 

Headquarters in Greensboro, North 

Carolina, when FAA Administrator 

Michael Huerta handed over the type 

certificate to Michimasa Fujino. 

“Achieving FAA type certification for 

the HondaJet is a monumental milestone 

for Honda,” said Fujino. “We 

established Honda Aircraft as a new 

aerospace company and introduced 

our first product - an advanced light 

jet with technologies developed from 

serious research activities. We 

designed, tested, and have now certified 

this clean-sheet design aircraft - 

an unprecedented challenge for 

Honda.” He joked: “This is one of the 

most expensive pieces of paper!” 

Michael Huerta answered: “Tonight, 

the experiment is over. Go fly!” 

Just two weeks later, on December 

23, Honda Aircraft handed over the 

first HondaJet to an undisclosed customer. 

“We are very excited to commence 

deliveries of the HondaJet, fulfilling 

Honda’s commitment to 

advancing human mobility through 

innovation. Honda Aircraft has now 

extended this commitment skyward 

with the delivery of our first aircraft, 

and I hope we soon will begin to see 

many HondaJets at airports around 

the world,” said Michimasa Fujino. 

Honda Aircraft declined to name the 

buyer of the first HondaJet. But a 

look into the FAA registry shows that 

the aircraft with the registration 

N420EX is owned by Wells Fargo 

Bank Northwest NA Trustee of Salt 

Lake City, Utah. 

It was a long journey for Honda 

Aircraft to get to this important milestone. 

Back in 1997, Michimasa 

Fujino had sketched the first drawings 

of a new light jet that should 

become the HondaJet. In December 

of 2003, the first proof-of-conceptdemonstrator 

took to the air. In 2006, 

Honda Aircraft was founded as a 

wholly owned subsidiary of American 

Honda Motor Co. It wanted to form a 

sales and service alliance with Piper 

Aircraft and expected the certification 

of the HondaJet no later than 2010. 

But the alliance with Piper stalled as 

did the certification in 2010. Delays 

plagued the programs in its initial 

phases. Four years later, on 

December 20, 2010, the first flight of 

the first FAA-conforming HondaJet 

took place, right in the middle of the 

recession that had struck the world’s 

economy and that had cut the 

demand for light jets by over 50 percent 

from one day to another. But 

Honda Aircraft continued its path. 

The first production HondaJet 

achieved its initial flight on June 27, 

2014. One month later, on July 28, 

2014, the aircraft made its public 

debut at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, 

Wisconsin. 

The HondaJet enters a market that 

is already well served by established 

manufacturers like Textron Aviation 

with the Cessna Citation Mustang, 

FULFILLED 

Honda Aircraft 

CEO Michimasa 

Fujino in high 

spirits after the 

HondaJet 

certification last 

December. 


HONDAJET 

Citation M2 and CJ3+, Embraer with 

the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 and 

Bombardier with the Learjet 70. But 

the HondaJet is a unique aircraft with 

a lot of innovative features. The most 

striking feature of the aircraft is its 

patented over-the-wing engine mount 

(OTWEM) design that according to 

Honda Aircraft, “dramatically 

improves performance and fuel efficiency 

by reducing aerodynamic 

drag”. It helps also to reduce cabin 

sound and ground-detectable noise. 

The winglet-equipped wings are laminar 

flow wings and even the front sec- 

COMPLETION 

Now in full 

capacity, 

HondaJet 

expects to build 

50 aircraft in the 

first production 

year. 

tion of the aircraft maintains a laminar 

flow over the lower fuselage reducing 

drag and improving the overall aerodynamic 

efficiency of the aircraft. 

The designers of the HondaJet have 

chosen composites to build the aircraft’s 

fuselage. The cabin is the 

roomiest in its class and offers seating 

for four passengers. The aircraft 

can be flown by a two-member crew 

or single handed, leaving room for a 

fifth passenger in the co-pilot’s seat. 

For everyone’s comfort, the $4.5 million 

aircraft is equipped with a fully 

serviceable private aft lavatory. 

Honda Aircraft brings some fresh air 

to the market in other areas of aircraft 

ownership. The liveries of the aircraft 

are standing out from other manufacturer’s 

designs. The aircraft’s design 

has a basic white which is topped by 

green, yellow, red, silver or blue 

patches on top of the front section, 

the engines and the empennage. 

The HondaJet flies at a maximum 

cruise speed of 420 KTAS at flight 

level 300. The maximum cruise altitude 

is 43,000 ft, the initial rate of 

climb is 3990 ft/min. With four occupants, 

it can fly nonstop 1180 nautical 

miles (NBAA IFR range). 

At program launch, Honda Aircraft 

wanted to use Garmin’s G1000 avionics 

suite as standard equipment. But 

the company later decided to switch 

to the much more advanced Garmin 

G3000 Avionics which is customized 

by Honda. Three 14-inch landscape 

high-resolution displays and two 

touch-screen controllers enable the 

flight crew to get all flight-critical 

information where and when they 

need it. The $4.5 million jet features 

a 40/60 display configuration on both 

Primary Flight Displays (PFD). This 

40/60 enhancement provides an easier 

visual scan for pilots and contributes 

to improved situational 

awareness and safety by allowing the 

pilot or co-pilot to select and show 

additional information within a customizable 

tile that consumes approximately 

40 percent of the width of each 

display. 

The HondaJet is powered by two GE 

Honda HF120 turbofans with a 

bypass ratio of 2.9:1 and an output of 

2050 lb. The engine is a clean-sheet 

design, which was certified by the 

FAA back in December 2013. It features 

a wide-chord swept titanium 

blisk fan with composite fan outer 

guide vanes and is controlled by a 

dual-channel full authority digital 

engine control (FADEC). The time 

between overhaul is 5000 hours. The 

engine is manufactured by GE Honda 

Engines in Burlington, North 

Carolina, some 30 miles east of 

Honda Aircraft’s World Headquarter. 

Together with FlightSafety 

International, Honda Aircraft has 

developed training programs for 

crews and technicians for the new 

jet. These programs incorporate new 

training technologies like an 

enhanced graphic system and operational 

day flow to allow pilots a seamless 

transition from the classroom to 

the cockpit. The Honda Aircraft 

Training Center became operational 

in late 2014 in Greensboro, but had 

to wait for the arrival of the first simulator. 

In February 2015, the first 

HondaJet full motion flight simulator 

was installed in the HondaJet 

Training Center in Greensboro, 

North Carolina. It was built and 

assembled at Flight Safety’s facilities 

in Borken Arrow, Oklahoma. It’s a 

level D simulator that will be certified 

to meet both the FAA and 

European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) regulations. “Pilot training is 

an important factor for safety, and we 

are putting significant effort and 

investment into flight training for all 

of our customers. The HondaJet 

flight simulator will be an invaluable 

training tool in preparing pilots to 


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HONDAJET 

operate the world’s most advanced 

light jet. It is part of a customized 

training program that will use the latest 

technologies to create a learning 

experience that is engaging and real 

to life,” said Fujino. 

The company has built a worldwide 

dealer network in eleven territories. 

Central Europe (including Austria, 

Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 

Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, 

Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, 

Liechtenstein, Lithuiania, Macedonia, 

Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, 

Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia 

2015 in Geneva. Right after the show 

in Switzerland, the HondaJet demonstrator 

flew to the UK, Belgium, 

France, Germany and Poland before 

returning to Greensboro in the US. 

Upon completing the tour, Honda 

Aircraft stated: ”The world tour, combined 

with a North American demonstration 

tour, has demonstrated the 

aircraft’s maturity, reliability and 

readiness for entry into service. The 

HondaJet flew more than 300 total 

hours in North America, Japan, 

Europe and South America.” 

Honda Aircraft is now ramping up 

production. At the end of 2015, the 

company had 1700 employees and 25 

INTERIOR 

HondaJet 

interiors bring 

together: 

comfort, 

ergonomic 

efficiency 

and safety. 

and Switzerland) is served by 

Rheinland Air Service (RAS) of 

Mönchengladbach, Germany, while 

TAG Aviation in Farnborough is looking 

after Southern Europe (including 

Andorra, the Channel Islands, 

Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, 

Italy, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, San 

Marino, Spain, the Cantons of Geneva 

and Vaud in Switzerland) and 

Southern England. Belgium, Ireland, 

Isle of Man, Luxembourg, the 

Netherlands, United Kingdom and 

Scandinavia is the territory of 

Marshall Aircraft Sales Limited of 

Birmingham. Honda Aircraft itself 

looks after Eastern Europe, Russia 

and CIS from its World headquarters 

in Greensboro. 

The manufacturer offers a warranty 

which is transferable upon aircraft 

resale. The airframe and OEM components 

have a warranty that runs up 

to 36 months after delivery or 1500 

flight hours, the earlier to occur. 

Paint and interior equipment are warranted 

until a year after the delivery 

date. 

Near the end of the flight test campaign, 

Honda Aircraft sent one aircraft 

on a world tour to demonstrate 

not only the maturity of the aircraft, 

but to show the jet to potential and 

existing customers. The 26,000 miles 

World Tour started officially in Japan 

in April. The jet was featured at public 

and private events at six airports with 

the HondaJet conducting flight 

demonstrations. More than 10,000 

people had the opportunity to see the 

jet in Japan. 

The tour continued with the official 

European HondaJet debut at EBACE 

HondaJets were in different stages of 

production. Honda Aircraft expects to 

built 50 aircraft in the first full production 

year, increasing this number to 

about 75 thereafter. Michimasa 

Fujino is optimistic that the HondaJet 

will raise the bar. He said: "Honda 

Aircraft is not only bringing new 

value to the market with the 

HondaJet, but also a higher standard 

for aircraft ownership. Together with 

the HondaJet dealer network, we 

have built the infrastructure to deliver 

on our objective." 

✈ 


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