Cessna Grand Caravan EX special mission demonstrator makes Paris debut
June 15, 2015
PARIS, France (June 15, 2015) – Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, will debut a newly-configured Cessna Grand Caravan EX demonstrator at this week’s Paris Airshow. The aircraft features a variety of special mission applications, such as a surveillance console and a medical stretcher, as well as a variety of cabin and seating configurations, including newly designed light-weight production seats in a half club configuration and a stowable utility seat.
“With a high percentage of our Caravan sales going into special mission roles around the world, this platform has proven to be a truly versatile multi-tasker,” said Dan Keady, vice president, Special Missions. “Having a fully equipped special missions Grand Caravan EX demonstrator in the market allows our customers to experience firsthand the extensive range of capabilities available on this platform.”
The Grand Caravan EX is particularly well suited for a wide array of operations due to its spacious cabin, high useful load of more than 3,500 lbs. (1,588 kg), large cargo door and the ability to operate from short, unimproved surfaces. These aircraft have proven to be successful in a variety of special mission applications, including aerial survey, air ambulance, paratrooper, amphibious operations, surveillance, training and utility/transport. The Grand Caravan EX can also be manufactured with structural provisions for two hard points on each wing, allowing the aircraft to be configured for missions that require armament.
The demonstrator aircraft is making its global debut through the year with appearances scheduled in Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Aerocardal Selected as Authorised Service Centre for Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft in Chile
June 15, 2015
As Pilatus Aircraft Ltd’s sales and service presence expands around the globe, the ability to provide top quality maintenance from any location is essential. To meet this criterion, Aerocardal in Santiago, Chile has been appointed as a new addition to Pilatus’ growing list of authorised service providers for the PC-12.
“The exceptional commitment to high quality service displayed by Aerocardal makes them a welcome addition to Pilatus’ group of service centres,” explains Pete Wolak, Vice President of Customer Service for Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd.
“Over 20 years of service in the region demonstrates the success of Aerocardal’s customer-focused business model. Their approach to the highest level of service is completely aligned with Pilatus’ own core values, so we see this as a perfect fit. It is a relationship that will benefit Pilatus customers in Chile and surrounding countries”, adds Pete Wolak.
Founded in 1996, Aerocardal was the first FBO in Chile. Since then it has established itself as a highly qualified leader in the Chilean business aviation industry. The company’s main base is located at Santiago International Airport, where the Aerocardal FBO provides full services with a VIP lounge, ramp space of 10,000 square metres, and their own fuel service facility with 120,000 liters capacity. Aerocardal earned ISO 9001 certification for its operations in 2008.
Gulfstream G280 Adds Another Speed Record To Books
June 15, 2015
SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 15, 2015 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced that the Gulfstream G280 recently added to its growing list of city-pair records, this time linking Paris with Abu Dhabi.
On April 24, the super mid-sized aircraft traveled from Paris-Le Bourget Airport to Abu Dhabi International Airport in United Arab Emirates. The distance of 2,908 nautical miles/5,386 kilometers was covered in 6 hours and 16 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.82.
Pending approval by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association, the G280’s 51st city-pair mark will be sent to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for consideration as a world record.
“It’s a testament to the G280’s many attributes that we’ve delivered more than 60 of these aircraft to operators in 11 countries,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream. “The G280 had the best range, speed, fuel efficiency and cabin comfort in its class when it entered the marketplace in November 2012, and nothing has changed. It is also one of the most reliable aircraft in the industry.”
Originally projected to fly 3,400 nm/6,297 km, the G280 surpassed expectations by 200 nm/370 km, resulting in more city-pair connections, excellent fuel efficiency and lower operating costs for customers. The aircraft has tremendous performance capabilities and a superior cabin with the Gulfstream-designed cabin management and high-definition entertainment systems, industry-leading sound levels, 19 super-sized windows and in-flight access to the baggage compartment.
Boeing to Build Third All-Electric Propulsion Satellite for ABS
June 12, 2015
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 12, 2015 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] is on contract to build ABS-8, the third all-electric propulsion 702SP (small platform) satellite for ABS, a commercial satellite provider based in Bermuda and Hong Kong. This satellite will expand broadcast and enterprise services to Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Russia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
“The procurement of ABS-8 shows our confidence and trust with Boeing on the all-electric propulsion 702SP platform technology. The prescribed satellite payload of C-, Ku- and Ka-beams with wide beams and high throughput capacity would serve the government, mobility, telecoms, DTH (direct-to-home) and rural broadband sectors,” said Tom Choi, CEO of ABS. “ABS is committed to continually innovate and improve the competitiveness of the FSS industry for the betterment of our customers.”
“The decision by ABS to order a third Boeing 702SP satellite is a testament to our customer’s confidence in the capabilities of this satellite,” said Mark Spiwak, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc. “With the innovative all-electric propulsion design, Boeing is able to maximize payload while decreasing overall satellite mass and cost.”
ABS-8 is scheduled for delivery in 2017. With a payload of more than 9kW (kilowatts), it will be the highest power payload to date on a Boeing 702SP. ABS-8 will replace ABS-7 at the 116.1degE orbital location. The ABS-8 payload will include traditional wide beam coverage and a high powered Ku- and Ka-band multi-spot high throughput satellite (HTS) configuration.
ABS’ first all-electric propulsion 702SP satellite (ABS-3A) was launched earlier this year in a stacked configuration using Boeing-patented technology. A second ABS 702SP satellite (ABS-2A) is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter.
Dassault Falcon Jet to Open Spares Distribution Center in Louisville, Kentucky
June 12, 2015
June 11, 2015 (Teterboro, New Jersey): — Dassault Falcon Jet will open a new spare parts Regional
Distribution Center (RDC) which is due to be operational before the end of the year. This RDC will be
strategically located at UPS Worldport in Louisville, Kentucky, and stocked with the most frequently
ordered Falcon parts.
The Louisville facility will allow customers to extend the ordering deadline to 10:00PM ET for 8:00 AM ET
delivery the next morning. It will complement the existing United States-based distribution centers in San
Jose, Little Rock, Wilmington and Teterboro.
“Using UPS aircraft, our customers will experience faster service, later loading, next day delivery and
lower cost ground transportation,” said Geoff Chick, Vice President of Customer Service for the Western
Hemisphere. “Delivering the parts our customers need, when they need them, is at the forefront of all of
our spares efforts.”
Dassault Falcon’s global spares network consists of 13 RDCs located around the world. These facilities
house nearly $800 million in Falcon spare parts representing over 300,000 unique part numbers.
Dassault is considered the business aviation market leader in spare parts availability with an industry
leading 98.5% spares service level. Service level is defined as the percentage of line items shipped that
meet the customer’s required date. The Dassault Falcon service level benchmark covers all Falcon
models, from current production aircraft to legacy models delivered since 1965.
Boeing Forecasts Demand for 38,050 New Airplanes Valued at $5.6 Trillion
June 11, 2015
20-year Current Market Outlook reflects 3.5 percent increase in demand over 2014
Single-aisle, small/medium twin-aisle segments lead growth in airplanes and value
SEATTLE, June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] projects a demand for 38,050 new airplanes over the next 20 years, an increase of 3.5 percent from last year’s forecast. Boeing released its annual Current Market Outlook (CMO) today, estimating the total value of those new airplanes at $5.6 trillion.
A downloadable CMO infographic is available here: http://bit.ly/1KTLv6M.
“The commercial airplane market continues to be strong and resilient,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “As we look forward, we expect the market to continue to grow and the demand for new aircraft to be robust.”
By the end of the forecast period, the commercial airplane fleet will double, from 21,600 airplanes in 2014 to 43,560 airplanes in 2034. Fifty-eight percent of the 38,050 airplanes delivered over that time will be to accommodate growth.
Passenger traffic will continue to grow at about a 4.9 percent annual pace, near the historic trend line of 5 percent. More than 7 billion passengers will fly by the end of the forecast period. Cargo traffic will grow at about 4.7 percent per year.
The single-aisle market continues to be the fastest-growing, largest overall segment, requiring 26,730 airplanes over the coming two decades. These aircraft are the foundation of the world’s airline fleet, carrying up to 75 percent of passengers on more than 70 percent of the world’s commercial aviation routes. This sector is fueled by growth in low-cost carriers and airlines in developing and emerging markets.
“At the heart of the single-aisle market are the Boeing 737-800 and the future 737 MAX 8,” said Tinseth. “These airplanes offer customers the most fuel efficiency, reliability and capability in this class.”
About 35 percent of the single-aisle market will go to low-cost carriers, Tinseth noted. “Low-cost carriers will require airplanes that combine the best economics with the most revenue potential. With 20 percent lower fuel use, the 737 MAX 200 will be the ideal machine for them.”
Boeing forecasts that the widebody segment will require 8,830 new airplanes, led by small widebody airplanes in the 200- to 300-seat range such as the 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner. This year’s forecast reflects a continued shift in demand from very large airplanes to efficient new twin-engine products such as the 787 and new 777X.
While airline growth still accounts for the majority of new demand, a large and growing number of aging aircraft will require replacement. About 2 to 3 percent of the installed fleet will require replacement each year.
“The 737 MAX, 777 and 787 are perfectly positioned to capture this important wave of replacement,” Tinseth said.
The air cargo market continues to strengthen, and will drive demand of some 920 new airplanes over the 20-year forecast.
“We’ve seen two years of solid growth in the air cargo market and we expect that growth to continue,” Tinseth said. “That’s great news for our line of production freighters, including the 747-8, 767 and 777.”
Boeing’s Current Market Outlook is the longest running jet forecast and regarded as the most comprehensive analysis of the aviation industry. The full report can be found at www.boeing.com/cmo.
Gulfstream Appoints John Ortega As Vice President And General Manager Of Its Facility In Mexicali, Mexico
June 10, 2015
SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 10, 2015 – Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently named John Ortega vice president and general manager of its manufacturing facility in Mexicali, Mexico. Ortega replaced Randy Brown, now director of Advanced Aircraft Programs Operations in Savannah. Ortega reports to Greg Collett, vice president, Initial and Final Phase Operations.
Most recently, Ortega served as director, Composites/Sub-Assembly, in Savannah, where he oversaw operations that support production of Gulfstream large-cabin aircraft. In more than seven years at Gulfstream, Ortega has also been a senior manager in Sub-Assembly, Quality/Manufacturing Technologies and Quality Control.
“John has been a valuable member of the Operations organization since 2007,” said Collett. “His wealth of experience in people development and process improvement will help make a strong team in Mexicali even stronger.”
Mexicali, with more than 1,600 employees, makes wiring harnesses, sheet metal components, sub-assemblies and machined parts that are used in the manufacturing process. The site won the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence in 2009 and was ranked 12th on Great Place to Work’s 2015 list of The Best Companies to Work in Mexico.
Prior to joining Gulfstream in 2007, Ortega worked for 10 years at General Electric in Atlanta and Schenectady, New York, in various management and operations positions.
He spent 10 years in the U.S. Navy as a pilot. Among the aircraft he flew were the Grumman A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat.
Ortega earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Union College in Schenectady.
Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi: European flight safety system for drones tested with success in Italy
June 8, 2015
Ten years after the first flight of the Alenia Aermacchi Sky-X, the first European UAV over one tonne class, thanks to a series of tests performed in Italy and, an important step forward has been achieved for the future operations of the unmanned aerial systems in the civil air zone.
Currently confined to operational theatres, test areas or “corridors” completely separated from airspace reserved for civil aircraft and helicopters, the activities of the UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) or RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems), require important processes of technological change in order to exploit their full potential. Chief among these is flight safety.
To assure this fundamental aspect for the future of the unmanned aerial systems of all categories, the EDA (European Defence Agency), launched in 2009 the MIDCAS Project to identify solutions aimed at guaranteeing Mid-air Collision Avoidance, that is to say the separation between manned and unmanned aircraft and the prevention of flight collisions. And this is one of the key missing pieces for a full integration of unmanned aircraft in the civil airspace and ultimately their total commercial and institutional exploitation.
In recent weeks, from the Grazzanise Air Force Base, headquarters of ItAF’s 9th Air Wing, Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi has successfully completed, with its Sky-Y RPAS, an important testing cycle proving the functionality of the MIDCAS system in identification of other aircraft in potential congested flight paths (in this case an Alenia Aermacchi’s C-27J intentionally flown close to the Sky-Y at different altitudes and from different directions) and the capability of changing course to avoid collision through an automatic manoeuvre. Tests were carried out with an approach of the two aircraft up to 150 meters.
Another objective of the testing was to establish the best sensors combination (by using a MIDCAS consortium designed radio, electro-optical, infra-red and radar systems) in order to feed the traffic gathering system on board the unmanned aerial system. This activity has also seen the direct participation of Finmeccanica-Selex ES that has coordinated the development of the “Sense and Avoid” sensor and supplied part of the cooperative sensors.
Chosen by MIDCAS consortium as the best platform available in Europe for this technological experimentation, Alenia Aermacchi’s Sky-Y has therefore made it possible to carry out the first flight test of automatic collision avoidance based on “non-cooperative” sensors: namely the capability of also avoiding traffic of manned aircraft not equipped with transponders (aircraft identification standard system), generally used on commercial airplanes.
This new important technological goal is added to several meaningful results achieved along the years by Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi’s unmanned air vehicle technological demonstrators Sky-X and Sky-Y:
- Sky-X – first European UAV weighing over one tonne: 1st Flight May 2005, Vidsel, Sweden
- Sky-X – first completely automatic approach of a UAV with an aircraft simulating an aerial tanker: 28 June 2008, Amendola, Italy
- Sky-Y – first flight of a European MALE UAV equipped with diesel engine: 20 June 2007, Vidsel, Sweden
- Sky-Y – European flight duration record, 8 hours, for a UAV of the over-1000-Kg category: 25 October 2007, Vidsel, Sweden
- Sky-Y – first flight worldwide (together with the Finmeccanica-Selex ES Falco UAV) from civil airport: September 2011, Cuneo, Italy
- Sky-Y – First fully automatic coupled avoidance manoeuvres based on combined cooperative and non-cooperative detection as well as non-cooperative detection only and put on collision course with a manned aircraft: MIDCAS, spring 2015, Grazzanise, Italy
The MIDCAS is a research project contracted by EDA on behalf of the 5 partner countries (Sweden, Germany, France, Italy and Spain). Supervision and control authority is exerted through an appropriate steering body: Project Arrangement Management Group (PAMG), formed by representatives of the participating countries’ Defence Ministries.
The industrial consortium is made up by Saab (coordinator) for Sweden, Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi and Finmeccanica-Selex ES for Italy, Diehl, AIRBUS D&S and ESG for Germany, Indra for Spain, Sagem and Thales for France and by the aerospace research agencies CIRA for Italy and DLR for Germany.
SuperJet International’s financing package awarded as the “Export Credit Deal of the Year”
June 8, 2015
During the prestigious 16th Annual Air Finance Journal Deals of the Year Awards Dinner, SuperJet International (SJI) – joint venture between Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi and Sukhoi Holding – received the “Export Credit Deal of the Year” award from Air Finance Journal.
Actually, SuperJet International developed a noteworthy financing package for the purchase of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft (SSJ100) through a multilateral export credit guaranteed by COFACE (France), SACE (Italy) and EXIAR (Russia).
This financing offer will cover a total of 30 SSJ100 aircraft ordered by the Mexican airline Interjet and can be made available to new SSJ100 customers. So far, the initial 20 aircraft are financed by Natixis, Deutsche Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo and VEB.
“We are very proud of this outstanding recognition from Air Finance Journal – states Nazario Cauceglia, CEO of SuperJet International – it confirms that we are offering not only a new-generation aircraft already flying today, but we are also capable of providing innovative and attractive financing solutions to our customers. As a complement to a large financing offer, SuperJet International is now working on an additional and innovative financing package with new investors, in order to promote the sale of this state-of-the-art 100-seat aircraft to new adopters. We do believe that a full comprehensive package at a very competitive price represents an important asset in the SSJ100 offer and a real strength if compared to its competitors.”
To date 52 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft are in operations worldwide and the entire fleet logged more than 100.000 flight hours.
Elbit Systems and Nicarnica’s Volcanic Ash Solution Approved by Eurostars™
June 8, 2015
Haifa, Israel, June 8, 2015 – Elbit Systems and Nicarnica were recently approved by the Eurostars™ program for funding for their cooperation on volcanic ash detection technology using Elbit’s ClearVision™ Enhanced Vision System (EVS) with Nicarnica’s Volcanic Imaging Detector. The funding of the project is supported by Eurostars, the Norwegian Research Council (NRC) and the Israeli Chief Scientist (OCS).
Elbit Systems and Nicarnica’s goal in this project is to incorporate new and advanced technologies for enhanced operational efficiency, reduction of maintenance costs and avoidance of delays in the flight schedules of commercial airlines caused by adverse ambient flight conditions. Based on the two companies’ well-established knowledge and proven technologies in the fields of Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) and Volcanic Imaging Detectors, the know-how developed during the project is intended to provide the partners with a strong position to expand the product line.
The Eurostars program provides funding for transnational innovative research for projects that have partners from two or more Eurostars countries. Only the most commercially promising innovative applications are selected to this prestigious program. The program is publicly financed with a total budget of 1.14 billion euro and is currently supported by 34 EUREKA countries and the European Union.
The collaboration between Nicarnica and ESL and the technical solution of fusion between the ClearVision EVS and the volcanic ash detection capability met and exceeded Eurostars application standards.
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