B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 - September 27, 2007 - (Page 10)

N BA A 2007 What Goes Up Must Come Down, Even the Bizjet Boom The booming business jet market is making some executives uncomfortable by its very success. It is, says Bombardier Business Aircraft president Pierre Gabriel Côté, like gravity—there is always a downward pull. The question is, when? “A healthy backlog is certainly a great thing to have, but it needs managing carefully,” he says. While the company likes its shops to be full for the Pierre Côté. next few years, customers want their airplanes as fast as possible. At this point in the cycle, two to three years in, Bombardier would traditionally be looking to cut its production rates. But the company has decided to maintain its production level. “The temptation to heavily increase rates is high, but we want to manage our backlog the best we can to minimize the impact of what we might face in a slowdown,” Côté says. There is no slowdown on the immediate horizon, but it could happen in 18 to 24 months. It will likely be more of a plateau than an actual drop as strength in international markets (now approaching 60% of sales) offsets any decline in the U.S. economy. Bombardier Aerospace recently reported that deliveries of its business jets actually declined in the first half of the year to 99 aircraft from 101 in the same period a year before due to production issues, but its backlog jumped 38% since January to $18.2 billion (including regional airliners). Bombardier logged 103 business jet orders in the second quarter versus 67 the year before. —John Morris Sierra Super II Flies Sierra Industries (Booth 5061) recently hit two major milestones in its Citation II modification and performance enhancement program. The first was the successful running of the FJ44 engine, on which it worked with Williams International and the FAA. The engine was run at full power several times, completing tests on different reliant systems within the aircraft. As a result of the successful test run of the engine, Sierra has been able to complete the first flight of the Citation Super II. The two flights accumulated one and one-half hours of flight time for the aircraft so far. Shadin Designs ETM for PT6A A new engine trend monitoring (ETM) unit hits the market today. St. Louis Park, Minn.-based Shadin Avionics (Booth 8350) has released a trend monitor for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 family of engines that can be used across a range of aircraft types. The trend monitoring unit features a USB port so the user can download information to a thumb drive at the push of a button. A GPS link adds another degree of information to the downloadable report, giving the exact geographic location of where a problem occurred, allowing flight conditions to be determined. Airbus Completions Get a Big Boost The Airbus Corporate Jet Center in Toulouse has just received its first two ACJs for cabin outfitting, and is to invest more than $7 million in improving its facilities. The Center is based at the former EADS Sogerma site and regroups most of the company’s experienced cabin-outfitting personnel under a new management team. It is a majority owned subsidiary of Airbus, with additional investment from an outside partner. The Center opened for business in July and eventually plans to outfit three ACJs a year. 300 Million Flight Hours That’s a Lot When it comes to business and general aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada (Booth 5763) has hit a major milestone: 300 million flight hours. Its engines are used on about 18,000 aircraft. “In the last 12 years alone, P&WC has certified over 60 engines, many of which power business and general aviation applications,” said P&WC’s vp of business aviation, Claude Lachapelle. The PW600 family of engines has been leading the flourishing very light jet market alongside Williams International. Phoenix Fuel Serving Pacific Rim Operators Phoenix Japan Aviation Group is a recently formed ground handling company based at Tokyo-Haneda Airport that is serving the needs of corporate and commercial operators in the Pacific Rim. Founded by Phoenix Fuel (Booth 4022), the company provides an array of services including permits, slots, ground transportation, contract fuel pricing and a direct link to international trip planning. “What we are doing will set the pace for future aviation operations in this region,” noted evp Bill Bullard. “We are the only company specifically targeting the Pacific Rim, introducing operators to contract fuel.” Angels Maneuvering for Higher Support At about midday Tuesday, this movable billboard was making its way into the Fulton County Airport’s static display park, carrying a 12-foot-high challenge from union organizers to FlightOptions top executives. Teamsters’ union Local 1108 has been trying since June 2006 to work out the pilots’ first-ever deal with the fractional operator. Corporate Angel Network (CAN), the national public charity that arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients using empty seats on business aircraft—and recently elected new board members Jack J. Pelton (Cessna) and John G. Rosanvallon (Dassault Falcon Jet)—have announced that contributions can now be made online, using its website. Donors can log on to www.CorpAngelNetwork.org and click on “Donations & Support.” They will receive written acknowledgement suitable for tax purposes. In 25 years, CAN has arranged 27,000 flights and continues at the rate of 2,500 per year. Corporate Angel Network is at Booth 7645. 10 September 27, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.CorpAngelNetwork.org http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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Why Buy Columbia? Too Much of a Good Thing? The User Fee Fracas Big Toys for Big Boys Honeywell for RNP High Miles Air Taxi Bombardier at Your Service NARA Names Officers Learjet’s Racier Image ILA 2008 in Berlin Gulfstream Hangar Opens Anti-Runway Incursions Like ReallyLarge Cabins? Sentient-Jet Direct

B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 - September 27, 2007

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