EBACE Show News - May 21, 2008 - (Page 62)

EBACE 2008 B/CA Fast Five By William Garvey Eclipse FOQA Box IDs Tire Failure Cause During the three-month period from December 2007 through February 2008, Eclipse 500 operators suffered one blow-out for every 417 landings, according to data accumulated by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Eclipse Aviation (Booth 7463). As every Eclipse 500 is delivered from the factory with a Flight Operational Quality Assurance monitoring system, Eclipse management was able to identify specific operating parameters for each of the aircraft. When FOQA data was combined with pilot and service reports, plus engineering analyses, three “major contributing human factors” were identified by the firm. First, Eclipse determined that improper tire inflation could be a contributing factor, as well as decreasing tire life. In addition, Eclipse operators currently only are getting about 100 landings out of each set of specially engineered Michelin radials—but that’s not what’s causing the blowouts. At least one operator, though, continued to fly the aircraft with a substantial amount of exposed tire cord. That led to one documented blow-out. Next, flying too fast on approach and touching down at excessive speed makes it more difficult to stop the aircraft on the remaining runway. FOQA data revealed that Eclipse pilots on average are touching down more than 1,500 ft beyond the threshold. And finally, pilots are braking too hard during the initial part of the landing roll out. Eclipse 500 has no anti-skid, so maximum braking efficiency is achieved after the aircraft slows down well below touchdown speed. —Fred George Michael Dolphin president, Jet Systems—Avitat HPN, Westchester County Airport, White Plains, New York He was a kid working the overnight shift as a welder at Pratt & Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut, when heading for the parking lot one morning, he watched a JetStar take off. A light went on within. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, and got a job flying copilot on a Twin Otter out of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, his hometown. He moved to Richmor Aviation in Poughkeepsie, New York, as a charter pilot, eventually taking on aircraft management duties as well. Twenty years later, in 1992, one of his customers, former New Jersey Devils owner John McMullen, proposed they take over an FBO. The following year they bought a pair of Aero Services bases but shed the Morristown unit—“always a bridesmaid”—three years later. McMullen died a few years ago. If EBACE has worked to attract Europeans, how You’re a single base about LABACE or ABACE? New York FBO, and you’ve Dolphin: Nope. We don’t serve either of exhibited at EBACE every year those markets. But if we were based in since its inaugural. Why? Florida, I suppose we’d go to LABACE since a Dolphin: Because a lot of Europeans come lot of South Americans probably come there. to New York. We have a simple marketing message: If you’re coming to New York, don’t Has the dollar-euro exchange rate influenced business? go to Teterboro, come to Westchester County Airport in White Plains. Coming by Bangor, Dolphin: Undoubtedly. We can’t say that prinwe’re 51 miles shorter. I don’t have to sell cipals come to New York to shop, but we against Signature at White Plains, since we’ve certainly have seen crews bringing stuff home. got customs and immigration. One crew buys dozens of iPods, which they 1 3 4 5 2 Has the message gotten through? bring back to their friends or sell back in Europe. An independent, single unit FBO at a key business aviation center is something of a rarity these days. Ever get approached to sell? Dolphin: All the time, but there’s no magic number. There’s no number at all. We just completed a $9 million renovation, and I’m not done yet. This is my erector set; it will never be finished. It’s why I get up every morning— that, and to fight with politicians. Dolphin: I’d estimate our international business has quadrupled over the years. There are foreign tails on the ramp every day, many of them BBJs, since we’re the only viable place other than Newark that can handle them. Some of the credit goes to EBACE, but there’s word of mouth, too. Exhibiting here is expensive, but you don’t have to sell many loads of fuel to cover the cost—these airplanes go far. During the three-month period from December 2007 through February 2008, Eclipse 500 operators suffered one blow-out for every 417 landings. —From data accumulated by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Eclipse Aviation Boutsen Gets the Keys to ACJ, A318 Today Boutsen Aviation will take delivery today of an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and an A318 Elite that are intended for undisclosed customers. A second ACJ is on order for the Monaco-based firm, which is headed by Thierry Boutsen, 62 May 21, 2008 a three-time winner in Formula 1 Gran Prix racing (out of 164 starts). The company ordered the airplanes in late 2006. Two CFM International CFM56-5 engines power the ACJ and deliver a range of 6,000 nmi with eight passen- gers. Jet Aviation in Basel, Switzerland, will outfit the cabin. Inspired by the cabin design for the Prestige family of VIP aircraft, it will have capacious dining and sitting rooms as well as a private office, bedroom and attached bath. Formula 1 champion Thierry Boutsen. www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EBACE Show News - May 21, 2008

A318 Elite is on a Roll A Circle Around London P&WC Deliveries Triple Avanti Sees Sales Shift RUAG Eyes Needy Cabins Global Gets Even NICEr Embraer Beefs Up Support Honeywell ‘Virtual VFR’ Signature Europe Grows Gestair Seeks to Double Aero-Dienst Turns 50 Gama Doubles in Size All is Not Woe with Oil Ocean Sky is Aggressive

EBACE Show News - May 21, 2008

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