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Business aviation

Flexjet Praetor 600

Flexjet to adopt GE Digital’s Maintenance Insight solution

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Flexjet Praetor 600

Fractional private jet provider Flexjet has adopted GE Digital’s Maintenance Insight software solution for its fleet operations.

The GE Digital Maintenance Insight solution detects aircraft and component degradation before scheduled maintenance would catch it.

The programme also generates analytics that can be used to help optimise performance and decrease inefficiencies that lead to excess fuel burn and carbon emissions, allowing Flexjet to reduce its carbon footprint while operating the aircraft.

Megan Wolf, Flexjet’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We began using GE wireless flight data transmission across the Flexjet fleet in 2019 and are pleased to become the first to adopt this new maintenance innovation as well. Flexjet owns, operates and maintains our own aircraft, and Maintenance Insight’s powerful analytics will give our award-winning maintenance team even more tools to keep our aircraft in top shape.”

Maintenance Insight works by extracting full-flight data from each aircraft’s sensors. By generating data from every flight, operators can identify problems that otherwise might not be caught until scheduled routine maintenance, avoiding unplanned downtime. This also enables aircraft to be serviced at Flexjet maintenance stations rather than at third-party service stations, so-called “out-station events,” further reducing costs and delays.

“With the ability to also optimise performance and decrease fuel inefficiencies, this software will help us to maintain our industry leadership in this critical field, improving aircraft reliability and efficiency, protecting the natural environment and controlling operating and maintenance costs,” added Wolf.

May 20, 2022
Cessna Citation Latitude

Turkish Aerospace Industries orders three Cessna Citation jets

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Cessna Citation Latitude

Textron Aviation has received an order from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) for one special mission Cessna Citation Longitude and two special mission Cessna Citation Latitude jets.

Textron Aviation says the aircraft will be fitted with special flight inspection calibration equipment and used by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) in Turkey to inspect regional airport navigation aids.

Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation, said: “Textron Aviation is honoured to once again be selected as the aircraft of choice for the critical mission of ensuring the integrity of the airways that constitute the national airspace of Turkey. The Longitude and Latitude continue the long legacy of Cessna Citation flight inspection aircraft in service by the DHMI, while providing additional capability and performance for its missions.”

The Cessna Citation Longitude and Cessna Citation Latitude are designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc, a Textron Inc company. DHMI began using two Cessna Citation V aircraft for flight inspection in 1993 and they were replaced by Cessna Citation XLS aircraft in 2009.

May 13, 2022
Bombardier Challenger 3500

Bombardier exclusive: showcasing business jet cabin innovation at EBACE

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Bombardier Challenger 3500

Inflight Editor Satu Dahl speaks with business jet manufacturer Bombardier ahead of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) taking place in Geneva on 23-25 May.

What is Bombardier most looking forward to at EBACE 2022?
Bombardier is excited to attend the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition – we’re returning to EBACE at a perfect time with interest in business aviation at its highest levels in over a decade, and more people than ever accessing this safe and efficient mode of transportation. It’s a key show for us to showcase our innovations in terms of sustainability as well as aerodynamics, such as our smooth flex wing, which on the Global 7500 provides industry leading low-speed performance, high-speed cruise and the smoothest ride.

More than ever, we look forward to showcasing our aircraft, highlighting the expertise of our world-class services and support teams and have our experts on site to provide information to our stakeholders in person.

What are your biggest innovations when it comes to business jet interiors?
Bombardier is an industry leader in business jet interior design – two of our leading business jets, the Global 7500 and the Challenger 3500, were honoured with Red Dot awards, one of the most sought-after international recognitions for design and innovation excellence.

Innovation is embedded in Bombardier’s DNA and the Nuage seat is just one example. The patented Nuage seat was conceived, designed and configured for exceptional comfort. In designing the Nuage seat, Bombardier set out to completely re-engineer an aircraft seat architecture to fundamentally alter the way the seat moves and supports the passenger.

At the heart of the Nuage seat are features unavailable on any other seat in business aviation, including:

  • An unprecedented deep recline featuring a patented tilt link system that uniquely pivots the seat backwards at the knees as it reclines. This keeps the body fully supported with no added pressure on the legs.
  • A one-of-a-kind floating base, housing a novel fluid movement system for effortless tracking. A thoughtfully engineered swivel axis maintains an intuitively centered point of rotation in any position.
  • A unique tilting headrest, providing essential neck support for ergonomic excellence.

Bombardier’s Global 5500, Global 6500, Global 7500 and Challenger 3500 aircraft all feature the Nuage seat, which is the first meaningful change in the operation and design of a business aircraft seat in 30 years. The seat is also the crown jewel in the interior of Bombardier’s newest aircraft, the Challenger 3500 business jet.

Launched in September 2021, Bombardier prioritised the cabin experience on the Challenger 3500 aircraft and designed it with sustainability in mind to reflect the company’s priorities and the priorities of its customers. In addition to the Nuage seat, customers have the option to choose from a selection of environmentally conscious and high-end sustainable materials for the cabin, including eucalyptus veneer, natural carpets that are produced using resilient plants that don’t require water irrigation and are biodegradable, and upcycled wool and polyester textiles.

The Challenger 3500 aircraft interior also introduces several innovative technological features, such as the industry’s first voice-controlled cabin to manage lighting, temperature and entertainment systems, the first wireless chargers throughout the cabin and the only 24-inch, 4K display in its class.

How do you see the business aviation market developing this year?
The business aviation market is doing very well – the pandemic fuelled an increased interest in private travel, acting like an accelerator for first-time business jet customers. We’ve also seen the market recover faster than expected with flight hours surpassing those in 2019 and pre-owned aircraft inventory hitting record lows. What’s even more encouraging is that conditions are in place for the market to keep growing exclusive of the pandemic effect. Given that that medium and large categories will continue to represent 90% of industry revenues, Bombardier is in a good position to grow its share of this market with a solid portfolio of products, including its Challenger and Global families of business jets.

Challenger 3500 Interior FWD Cabin Seats
May 10, 2022
Cessna Citation XLS Gen2

Cessna Citation XLS Gen2 begins deliveries and achieves FAA certification

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Cessna Citation XLS Gen2

Textron Aviation has announced it has achieved the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification for its Cessna Citation XLS Gen2 business jet.

The company delivered the first customer aircraft to a long-time Citation operator in the Midwest last week.

“Loyal Citation customers inspire us to continually invest in bringing the latest design and technology to our product line,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Senior Vice President, Sales and Flight Ops. “This fresh approach to our popular 560XL series includes comfort and productivity upgrades requested by our customers, yet retains the model’s combination of performance and efficiencies that offers midsize jet features at a smaller jet operating cost.”

Textron Aviation says its Cessna Citation XLS Gen2 is the latest model of the Citation 560XL midsize business jet series, which began with the introduction of the Citation Excel in 1998. More than 1,000 560XLs have been delivered over the past 25 years.

May 9, 2022
Bombadier 5000 aircraft in flight

Bombardier honoured for technological innovation in aviation

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Bombadier 5000 aircraft in flight

Business jet manufacturer Bombardier has earned a top prize for technical innovation in the 2022 Les Mercuriades competition, Quebec’s most prestigious business awards programme sponsored annually by the Federation of Quebec Chamber of Commerce.

Bombardier received the honour for advances in its groundbreaking Smart Link Plus connected aircraft.

The Smart Link Plus programme is an advanced aircraft health monitoring system capable of interpreting real-time flight systems data and generating alerts while an aircraft is in flight as well as on the ground.

Access to this previously untapped data allows flight and maintenance crews to prioritise aircraft service needs and proactively dispatch, troubleshoot and track fixes, and substantially minimise costly aircraft downtime.

“We are delighted to have this prestigious recognition of our transformative Smart Link Plus technology,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Bombardier’s Executive Vice President, Customer Services and Support and Corporate Strategy. “At Bombardier, our strong focus on innovation, coupled with our homegrown talent continue to pioneer industry breakthroughs and contribute to the strength of the Canadian aerospace industry on the international stage as well as to the culture of technological excellence in Quebec.”

May 3, 2022
Satcom Direct Gulfstream G550 equipped with FlightDeck Freedom

SD FlightDeck Freedom chosen as default datalink system for new Gulfstream aircraft

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Satcom Direct Gulfstream G550 equipped with FlightDeck Freedom

Business aviation solutions provider Satcom Direct has announced that its FlightDeck Freedom (FDF) flight deck communications platform has been selected as the default datalink system for in-production Gulfstream G500, G600 and G650ER aircraft with initial line-fits already completed.

Gulfstream operators can now optimise the flexible FDF platform, which Satcom Direct says includes configurable features and monitoring of industry datalink compliance, to support secure and reliable datalink services between crew,  air traffic control, and ground personnel.

“FlightDeck Freedom is much more than datalink. As part of the SD connectivity eco-system, it keeps the entire flight department and crew synced with the aircraft for more efficient flight operations.  FDF provides critical data to support service monitoring and plays a significant part in communicating dynamic situational changes during flight.  This augmented support for flight crew, ground personnel and passengers raises industry standards by improving safety and compliance levels through bolstered communications, and we are proud that Gulfstream has selected SD for its flight deck service,” said John Kummer, Satcom Direct, VP Strategy and Programs.

April 20, 2022
Equinox

Equinox launches new initiative to minimise and mitigate carbon emissions

By Business aviation, Featured, SustainabilityNo Comments
Equinox

Music and entertainment industry private aircraft charter broker Equinox Charter and its sister company Equinox Travel have launched a new sustainability scheme called Equinox Enhanced Sustainability Initiative (EESI).

The companies say the initiative is designed to analyse and compare the sustainability efforts of aircraft operators. Clients can now request bespoke and market-tailored sustainability assessments of their preferred airlines or private aircraft operators from a flight operations perspective.

The initiative helps clients make informed aircraft and operator choices to mitigate and minimise their carbon and non-carbon emissions, helping reduce the environmental impact of their touring or corporate travel.

Ian Patterson, CEO of Equinox, said: “We’re not naïve to the impact of aviation on the environment. However, as providers of both commercial and private travel, and an intermediary between travellers and aircraft operators, we feel Equinox is well-positioned to encourage responsible choices when it comes to flying and to drive confidence and assurance by those choices.”

The company’s approach involves varying levels of operator analysis conducted by Equinox’s Sustainable Flight Operations Consultant, Douglas Corbett. Corbett’s experience as a private jet and airline instructor pilot allows him to work closely with the specialist travel team in offering this service to their clients across both commercial airline travel and business aviation.

“The day-to-day impact of flying doesn’t just need mitigating, but also minimising. This is why Equinox and I have set out to examine and assess the primary source of flight emissions: the flight operation itself,” said Corbett.

“Carbon offsetting and SAFs can go a long way, but we also want to be able to assure clients that their preferred operators are doing whatever they can to tackle actual flight emissions at the point of origin.

“We believe sustainable aviation requires a ‘belt and braces’ approach. Every detail, from fuel burn to raw material use, has an impact on emissions. When auditing operators, we rigorously examine the technical and non-technical aspects of flight operations ‘in the field’, and help our clients communicate the tangible action taken by the operators they choose to work with.”

Elliot Bottomley, Managing Director of Equinox Charter, added: “Following a tough couple of years, we’re now seeing a huge appetite for international travel. For many of our clients, particularly touring artists, summer is shaping up to be extremely busy.

“Some artists have already embarked on their world tours, and their measures around sustainable accommodation, ground transportation, and even food consumption, are heavily publicised. However, beyond offsetting, there seem to be no tangible results when it comes to flying. Simply not flying is not the answer.

“Through our Enhanced Sustainability Initiative, we will use in-depth operator insight to empower clients to consider ESG credentials in their decision-making, alongside usual factors such as safety, price and reputation. The three-tiered approach ensures clients can tailor the depth of assessment according to their requirements.”

April 20, 2022
NetJets 100th aircraft

NetJets adds 100th jet to its European fleet as part of €2.2 billion planned investment

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NetJets 100th aircraft

Global private aviation company NetJets has announced the delivery of its 100th aircraft to the operator’s European fleet as part of the company’s €2.2 billion global investment.

The Cessna Citation Latitude is a mid-size jet designed with comfort and agility in mind and has state-of-the-art onboard technology including Inmarsat’s Swift Broadband, which is a satellite-based Wi-Fi system accessible across the globe, as well as a NetJets in-flight entertainment system manufactured by Gogo and customised by NetJets.

The company says this milestone further positions NetJets at the forefront of the industry as it continually grows the largest private fleet of jets in the world.

NetJets is marking the occasion with a special celebration in Cascais, Portugal, with guest speakers, noteworthy guests and a water salute – a long-standing aviation tradition to welcome the aircraft into the NetJets fleet.

Christian Luwisch, Executive Director, NetJets Europe, said: “I am thrilled to be celebrating the further expansion of our European fleet with this latest aircraft delivery. NetJets is proud of its unwavering commitment to safety, service and unmatched global access. This landmark achievement is a testament to all at NetJets continuing to deliver exceptional service and access to our owners.”

NetJets says it continues to cement its position as the global leader in private aviation with the addition of this latest aircraft to its worldwide fleet of 800-plus aircraft.

April 12, 2022
falcon2000 EX Universal Avionics

Universal Avionics and Trimec Aviation to deliver flight deck upgrades for Falcon 2000/EX

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falcon2000 EX Universal Avionics

Universal Avionics (UA) and Trimec Aviation will be providing integrated avionics solutions for all Dassault Falcon 2000/2000EX aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line 4.

UA says the solution will include the company’s InSight Flight Display System, SBAS-Flight Management Systems, SkyLens head-wearable display and UniLink Communications Management system. Completion of the Supplemental Type Certificate is expected on the first-of-type aircraft in the first quarter of 2023. The integration will deliver a rich feature set for enhanced situational awareness and improved safety, and also increases payload by more than 200 lbs.

Dror Yahav, CEO of Universal Avionics, said: “Replacing existing flight deck displays with the InSight Flight Display System is an economical and sustainable initiative that extends the service life of both the flight deck and the aircraft while enhancing capabilities to meet global airspace compliance. Whether you own the aircraft for just a few years or decades to come, we believe this holistic approach complements the rising demand and value of the F2000/F2000EX aircraft.”

John Holland, General Manager of Trimec Aviation, said: “We are excited to be working closely with Universal Avionics on this achievement as our relationship goes back many years. We are always looking for ways to help our customers and this package with Universal Avionics InSight is a big step forward providing a modern package. The additional components provide CPDLC features as well as an economic alternative for Falcon 2000 operators that are now looking to upgrade to FANS [Future Navigation System].”

April 1, 2022
Bombardier global 7500

Bombardier celebrates delivery of its 100th Global 7500 business jet

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Bombardier global 7500

Global business aviation company VistaJet and business jet aircraft manufacturer Bombardier are celebrating a milestone delivery of the Global 7500 aircraft.

The Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft has a range of over 7,700 nautical miles, which opens up global access in long-haul private travel.

VistaJet offers its customers long-haul travel on the Global 7500 to 187 countries worldwide – 96% of the globe – and to some of the most hard-to-reach areas in a single flight.

The celebration took place at Bombardier’s Laurent Beaudoin Completion Centre in Montréal on 29 March. It marked Bombardier’s 100th delivery of the Global 7500, and VistaJet’s 10th, making it the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world.  VistaJet is planning to have up to 17 Global 7500 aircraft in its fleet by the end of 2022.

Thomas Flohr, VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman, said: “We are extremely proud of this landmark moment with Bombardier, as we grow our Global 7500 fleet and meet the growing demand for ultra-long-range solutions. VistaJet is committed to a sustainable aviation future and supporting the global business industry with this expansion. Our enhanced product offering on board the Global 7500 also guarantees that our clients, whether business or leisure travellers, are given the best and most seamless flying experience. We look forward to welcoming more members and supporting the business world as our growing fleet of Global 7500 aircraft opens a new era for long-haul private travel.”

Éric Martel, Bombardier’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am thrilled to celebrate the 100th delivery of the Global 7500 aircraft with our valued customer, VistaJet. VistaJet recognised early on that this aircraft would transform the business jet industry, and the enormous success of Bombardier’s Global 7500 in transforming the private aviation industry. I would like to thank our teams in Montréal, Toronto and Wichita for designing, building and testing this amazing feat of technology. It’s thanks to their talent and dedication that this aircraft has raised the bar for excellence in this sector.”

March 30, 2022