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Pilatus Officially Unveil PC24 Jet on Swiss National Day

August 1, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Pilatus PC24 Official LaunchMore than 25,000 people watched the Swiss aircraft manufacturer, Pilatus unveil their latest and some would say greatest business jet yet, the PC24 last week. At a spectacular launch, kicked off with a fly-by of all the aircraft that have ever made production during the company’s 75-year history, the new PC24 was pulled out by a team of 24 horses.

More than 120 performers and the children of company staff were involved in the launch and the event was enjoyed by all – children, high-ranking guests, fans and customers of Pilatus.

“Today’s celebration is a clear sign of our commitment to Switzerland as a centre of vision and action. Our company was established here in Stans exactly 75 years ago. We have seen our activities grow and expand here in Stans, and this is where we want to be in the future: in Stans, producing our aircraft for sale to customers around the world,” said Oscar Schwenk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Pilatus. “It’s wonderful that so many thousands of guests from Switzerland, and also from countries nearby and further afield, have made the effort to be with us here today, to celebrate this event together. The PC-24 marks a really important milestone in our 75-year history“.

The ceremony marked the official launch of the first prototype of the beautiful business jet, which was showcased at the recent EBACE exhibition, where 84 models were sold.

New Pilatus PC-24 with Avionics to Support Graphical Flight Planning

July 13, 2014
Business Aviation News
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PC24 with Graphical Flight Planning - Find Out More...Pilatus have announced that the new PC-24 business jet is ready to be rolled out, expecting to make its first flight before the end of the year.

The stunning new jet will be fitted with a Honeywell Primus Apex flight deck, branded as the Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment and will support graphical flight planning on a moving map displayed on one of the four impressive 12-inch displays. The cockpit will also feature an integrated navigation data service (INDS) for the iPad, supporting the paperless cockpit initiative.

Already, the Pilatus PC-24 has received 84 orders, causing a temporary suspension of new bookings with all projected delivery positions now taken from the end of 2017 to the end of 2019.  As the program continues, the company plan to reopen the order books for the $8.9 million aircraft for 2020.

The aircraft combines the performance of a light jet with the range and size of a midsized aircraft and seats up to 10 passengers in a commuter figuration or six to eight in an executive arrangement with options to remove seats to create a larger baggage compartment.

Certification from Europe and the U.S. will be planned for 2017.

Private Jet Travel Could Save Companies Money Over Commercial

July 11, 2014
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Private Jet Travel Communications for PassengersA delve into the travel arrangements of companies over the past few years has revealed that many corporations could save money over the long-term by using private jet travel over regular commercial flights.

It is not the first method of travel that springs to the mind of a company director when sending employees to other parts of the country to business meetings, yet when taken as a cost-measuring exercise, the results can be surprising.

There are four main modes of private jet transport:

  • Charter
  • Fractional Ownership
  • Jet Card
  • Ownership

Many large corporations do operate, own and run private jets for business purposes. Private jets are not always available for general employees, yet the savings are there to be made.

Taking travel time, airport processing time and flight hours into consideration for a group of employees can add up quickly when using commercial airlines. The time reduction for a business charter flight is significant and when weighed against the ‘down time’ of the employees travelling on commercial airlines, considering the additional passenger connectivity options for business jets, actual work hours can be greatly increased.

Charter flight is perfect for companies that fly employees less than 25 hours per year on a flexible schedule or are headquartered near a major metropolitan centre.

Jet cards are sold in minimum denominations of 25 hours and are ideal for companies that send employees on business trips that involve a stay of longer than 24 hours (no round trip options).

Fractional ownership of a jet means buying segments at a minimum of 50 hours. This option is perfect for those companies that use private jets, but do not want the running costs on their accounts.

If your company measures costs for off-site business meetings, it is easy to see that private jets and the business aviation sector can offer a solution that can spell long-term savings. Business travellers can meet the needs of the company far more effectively when travelling using business aviation – the cost is not measured simply by the price of the seat.

 

Aviation Messaging Solution Improves Communications

July 10, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Understand Complex Aviation MessagingAviation messaging involves a complex system of communications across many different mediums and the support infrastructure can become cluttered, difficult to understand and expensive.

Earlier this month, Canada underwent a completion of safety and efficiency enhancements with the implementation of Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). The introduction of CPDLC offers controllers and pilots the opportunity to communicate over data link or text-type messages rather than voice.

“Miscommunication is a common air safety issue, but there is much less chance of error when both the flight crew and the controller have the ability to communicate using standardized text messaging. With data link there is no need to read-back and hear-back instructions, which often need to be repeated several times due to poor radio reception or voice quality due to static interference and poor reception.” said Rudy Kellar, Executive Vice President, Service Delivery.

Aviation messaging consultants can assist airlines and operators with understanding, simplification and cost-saving with CPDLC and other critical messaging solutions. Type B messaging within aviation environments can streamline processes both in the air and on the ground, minimising delays and increasing operational productivity.

Cabin Electronics for Business Passengers

July 9, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Business Passengers Enjoy Full ConnectivityBusiness passengers demand high levels of cabin electronics these days to enable them to work as effectively in the air as they can on the ground. The most highly sought-after commodities being aircraft internet, high-speed connections to download presentations and business documents and the ability to research and access email accounts.

In addition, however, there is also an increasing requirement for ambient lighting, charging facilities for phones and tablets, HD flat screen TV, video and in-flight entertainment features.

In an ever-changing marketplace, it is almost impossible to keep up with the technology; the solutions to these requirements getting faster, more sophisticated and with higher-quality connections.

ARINC Direct stay ahead of the competition with seamless connectivity for business passengers via satellite communications from Inmarsat and Iridium networks. High-speed and high-quality connections offer a truly global coverage with flight tracking capabilities that are also increasing in demand in the wake of the tragic disappearance of flight MH370.

Business passengers travel in comfort and can continue to work effectively with scalable cabin electronics solutions from ARINC Direct.

FAA Certification for Bombardier Challenger 350

July 7, 2014
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Bombardier's Challenger 350 Business JetBombardier’s Challenger 350 business jet received full type certification from the FAA last month, marking a key step in the journey to entry-into-service for the luxury aircraft.

Stéphane Leblanc, Challenger Programs, Bombardier Business Aircraft vice president and general manager said that the aircraft has been “Designed with the feedback from existing Challenger aircraft owners and operators”, adding that the “New aircraft will meet their ever-growing needs. We are looking forward to delivering this segment leading aircraft and are confident that our customers will love it.”

Following certification, NetJets Inc unveiled their new Challenger 350 at the Westchester County Airport, N.Y. with Bombardier Business Aircraft president, Eric Martel presenting the ceremonial keys to NetJets chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell. NetJets will add eight jets to their fleet this year.

“The addition of the Challenger 350 aircraft to our fleet is a significant step in NetJets’ continued growth, and clearly demonstrates our commitment to provide NetJets customers with the most state-of-the-art aircraft models in the industry,” said Hansell. “This is the first of up to 200 Challenger 350 aircraft that we have on order from Bombardier over the next 10 years. We worked very closely with Bombardier to deliver an aircraft that exceeds our customers’ needs by providing the highest levels of safety, comfort and convenience.”

NetJets have made private aviation history with their purchases of $17.6 billion in aircraft since 2010 for their Signature Series. So far they have received 38 jets from various manufacturers.

Honda’s First Production HondaJet Takes Flight

July 4, 2014
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HondaJet First Flight CompletedHonda Aircraft were excited to announce that the first production HondaJet made its first flight last week and reported successful checks during the 84-minute flight. In-flight checks included: landing gear operation, flaps and speed brakes, low and high-speed handling and avionics testing of the Garmin G3000 system.

Test pilot Warren Gould reached an altitude of 15,500 feet and 348 ktas and was greeted by more than 1,000 Honda Aircraft employees upon his return.

President and CEO of Honda Aircraft, Michimasa Fujino said, “With this first flight, the HondaJet program has entered the next exciting phase as we prepare for delivery.”

The beautiful new jet, painted in a deep green pearl colour, is the first in a batch of production models that will be available for delivery after FAA certification, which is expected during the first half of 2015. The five-passenger, single pilot jet is capable of a maximum speed of 420 ktas, altitude of 43,000 feet and has a NBAA IFR range of 1,180 nautical miles.

World Cup Hopes to Boost Business Aviation Conference Interest

July 3, 2014
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Business Aviation Conference in BrazilThis years’ EBACE show to be held at São Paulo Congonhas Airport, will be operating under tough conditions as facilities are limited and a large tent at the show entrance will need to be erected. Organising the event has been a catalogue of delays for the Brazilian industry group, Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (ABAG) during a period of remodelling for the venue.

“We’re working with the expectation that the fair will be smaller this year than in 2013, which was smaller than in 2012. If it’s bigger, it will be only slightly bigger,” said ABAG executive director, Ricardo Nogueira.

Attendees for the show have declined over the past few years, with 13,823 visitors last year compared to 16,722 attendees in 2012, which at the time, was largely attributed to bad weather during the show’s opening days.

This year it is hoped that figures will rise due to the location of the World Cup tournament, which will bring a boost to local business aviation.

“All our airplanes are chartered for the World Cup, there’s a lot customer aircraft activity, and we’re doing a lot of FBO work for international visitors,” said a spokesman for TAM Aviação Executiva.

There is already a shortage in ramp space available during the tournament with 83% of business aviation slots reserved – equating to approximately 89,640 movements out of 108,000. Slots for 1,000 business aircraft have been reserved for the tournament traffic, which is expected to decrease as teams are eliminated.

The building that has been used during previous shows for LABACE conference sessions and registration has been commandeered as a remote terminal for business aviation during the World Cup tournament. Infraero airport authority Investments in this facility should benefit LABACE when it is finally handed over for use by ABAG.

Social Media Initiative Launched

July 1, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Social Media Marketing in AviationPrivate aviation company, Kestrel Aircraft, has realised that a corporate shift has become necessary for them to communicate with their customers via a new social media initiative and is embracing the platforms as a ‘primary conduit to the general aviation industry’.

The official Kestrel site has been converted to a content management system that will deliver content to various social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ in addition to creating short video posts that will document their progress towards certification. The company’s adoption of a collaborative communication strategy places them in a strong position in the aviation marketplace.

RJ Siegel, Chief Technologist at Kestrel said, commenting upon the slow uptake of the aviation industry to adopt the changes in social communication, “Social media promotes interaction between makers and users, which in turn provides rapid feedback and of course, promotes innovation. This is a vast communication channel which is only beginning to find its way into aviation”.

UAE Private Jets Most Popular Destination is Nice, France

June 22, 2014
Business Aviation News
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nice-business jets 22-06-14According to a recent study conducted by Private Jet Charter, the French city of Nice is the most popular destination for private jets out of the UAE, with five trips per year.

Following a close second is Paris for shopping, with four trips annually, then London for business, with two trips per year.

Nice is thought to be the most popular destination due to the belief that UAE high-net-worth individuals prefer to escape the hot summer months by travelling to high-end parts of Europe. Geneva is also popular for skiing during the season.

The report goes on to comment that UAE private jet users appreciate the ‘luxury and hassle-free environment’ that is provided by private charter and many are beginning to use private jets to connect to scheduled commercial airlines to destinations that are not on a standard route.

The staunch growth witnessed in the UAE of business aviation is also partly attributed to the new Al Makhtoum International Airport in Dubai, which now has exclusive private jet facilities with reduced slot restrictions and luxurious lounges.

It is thought that more and more exclusive requirements will need to be met across the UAE and further afield as the business aviation community grows.