MEBAA Show To Highlight New Aircraft, Technologies
The 2018 MEBAA Show is set to kick off on December 10 with nearly three dozen aircraft on static display, including show debuts of Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 and Boeing Business Jets’ B787-8, at Dubai World Central in the UAE. The three-day event is anticipated to attract nearly 9,900 visitors. The static display will showcase a range of jets from the HondaJet, which is making its second appearance, to bizliners such as the Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100.
Hundreds of exhibitors will be on hand at the show to highlight their latest products and newest technologies. The show will for the first time this year have a product demonstration theater on the exhibit floor. Also new this year will be an aircraft operators Executive Club Lounge, an exclusive area dedicated to meetings and networking.
Further, MEBAA is incorporating the associated MEBAA conference within the show floor this year, enabling attendees to interact with both the exhibits and the conference sessions. H.E. Jamal Al Hai, a member of UAE Federal National Council (FNC) and the deputy chairman at Dubai Airports, will be the opening keynote speaker at the conference on December 11.
AIN will publish print editions of MEBAA Convention News at the show, as well as MEBAA Alerts editions on December 10, 11, and 12. In addition, the latest MEBAA news can be accessed online at AIN's website.
What will 2019 bring for business aviation? The key to this question will be the global demand versus the global supply. During this past year we have all learned to work with high demand and lower corresponding supply. These lessons have found us more willing to import aircraft and consider that extra effort and cost to be the new normal. Conventional wisdom has that dynamic remaining a constant for some years to come.
At the Corporate Jet Investor conference last month in Miami, one of the questions posed to the audience of some 350 leading aircraft lenders, aviation tax and legal experts, management companies, and appraisers, as well as brokers was: "When do you believe there will be a downturn in our market growth?"
Based on the knowledge that good things do not last forever and a gut check, as well as a general fear of the future unknown, the overwhelming answer was 2020.
Then came the discussion about the level of inventory that will be available. Much of the buying that has occurred in the last 18 months has been in the first-time buyer category, which does not help available supply. 2019 will start to see the deliveries beginning in the new entrants, the Gulfstream 500 and 600, and the Bombardier 7500, 6500, and 5500. These alone will bring trade-ins from existing owners and boost in a very positive way an increase in available inventory of younger aircraft.
Bombardier Preps For 7500 Delivery ‘In Coming Days’
Bombardier, planning for the first Global 7500 delivery “in the coming days,” expects to deliver between 15 and 20 of the model next year and then double production the following year. Bombardier Business Aircraft president David Coleal confirmed plans for the first delivery this year and outlined the anticipated 2019 and 2020 production plans while speaking yesterday during Bombardier’s Investor Day. Bombardier released guidance that its business jet shipments would increase from an estimated 135 this year to between 150 and 155 next year.
The bump in deliveries includes plans to hand over about a handful of the aircraft in the first half of 2019 and up to 15 in the second half, Coleal said. Plans call for Global 7500 deliveries to further increase to between 35 and 40 in 2020, with the program sold out through 2021. He added that Bombardier has all the components in house for 2019 production and suppliers are already working to double their output for 2020.
When asked about the wing, which was modified during the development program, Coleal reiterated that Bombardier has all the wings required to cover 2019 production. But he also noted, “We are actively working with our partner on a variety of topics, which could include in the long-term what is the right place for the wing to reside.” Triumph is the wing supplier.
Tail Rotor System Failure Caused LOC in UK AW169 Crash
A catastrophic tail rotor system failure caused the loss of control in the fatal October 27 crash of an AW169 in Leicester, UK. “The evidence gathered to date shows that the loss of control of the helicopter resulted from the tail rotor actuator control shaft becoming disconnected from the actuator lever mechanism,” according to a special bulletin from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). This prevented the feedback mechanism from the tail rotor actuator from operating and the tail rotor from responding to yaw control inputs. The yaw stops were ineffective, the actuator continued to change pitch of the tail rotor blades, and an uncontrollable right yaw resulted.
On November 30, Leonardo published Emergency Alert Service Bulletins ASB 169-126 and ASB 189-217 calling for repetitive inspections of the castellated nut that secures the tail rotor actuator control shaft to the actuator lever mechanism and the tail rotor duplex bearing. EASA issued AD 2018-0261-E on November 30 mandating the repetitive inspections.
On the accident helicopter, the AAIB found that the castellated nut on the actuator end of the control shaft had been torqued to the extent that its friction welded it to the pin carrier and sheared the installed split pin. While the shaft was rotating under yaw control inputs it unscrewed from the nut, disconnected the shaft from the actuator lever, and caused the nut to become welded to the pin carrier.
Honda Aircraft obtained Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) approval for its HondaJet Elite. JCAB validation comes six months after Honda Aircraft opened the order book for the model through its dealer in the region, HondaJet Japan. Since that time, Honda Aircraft has received orders for more than 10 of the model. Deliveries on those orders are expected to begin before the end of the year.
The validation marks a significant step forward in the HondaJet program that had previously generated substantial interest in Japan but until this year had not been offered for sale in the country.
“Creating mobility products that enable people to enjoy the freedom of mobility in the sky has been Honda’s dream since its founding,” said Takahiro Hachigo, president and representative director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. “Today, we are delighted that our HondaJet received type certification in Japan, the home country of Honda. This is one example of embodying our passion to serve people worldwide with the ‘joy of expanding their life’s potential.’”
Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino added, “Through our sales of the HondaJet Elite, we will strive to create a society where business jets are more easily accessible to everyone in Japan.”
Aircraft component overhaul and maintenance provider Able Aerospace has broken ground on a 50,000-sq-ft expansion of its headquarters facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona. According to the Textron subsidiary, the project will enable it to enhance the technology used in its repair and overhaul processes and generate as many as 100 new skilled aerospace jobs in the area over the next two years.
The company relocated to Mesa in 2013 and since that time it has added more than 200 employees, bringing it to a total of 450, and enlarged its footprint with the addition of mezzanine space, a new paint shop, and build-out of the hangar that is now home to Able’s maintenance center. That facility delivers airframe repair and completion services, avionics upgrades, and full paintwork. When the addition is completed, it will bring the location to 250,000 sq ft of work space.
“Able’s world-class support aligns with our mission to provide customers with the resources needed to thrive and succeed as aircraft operators,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president of customer service for Textron, which acquired the company in 2015. “With this expansion, the Able team will broaden its service offerings even further."
Sky Valet Adds New Member To Connect Affiliate Program
European FBO chain Sky Valet has announced the first French service provider to join its Sky Valet Connect affiliate program. The company has signed an agreement with the operator of Avignon-Provence Airport for its IS-BAH-registered business aviation terminal to be branded under the Sky Valet Connect label.
Located at the heart of the triangle that covers the Lubéron and Provence regions, stretching from Montpellier to Marseilles, the airport plans to increase its private aviation traffic.
“We are delighted to join the Sky Valet network, and we are convinced that business aviation will be the major source of growth for Avignon-Province Airport,” said Michel Maridet, director of the airport’s management company.
Sky Valet launched the Connect brand in October, with its first locations in Italy and Bulgaria. The company’s own 22 FBOs are found throughout France, Spain, and Portugal.
“The faith that the operator of Avignon-Provence has shown in Sky Valet Connect reflects our ambition to strengthen our regional coverage in support of the growth of business aviation in Europe,” said Michel Tohane, Sky Valet’s executive v-p and director of parent company Aéroports de la Cote d’Azur Group’s general aviation business unit. “This new destination confirms the strength of our strategy and presents another step forward in our expansion strategy.”
ICAO Seeks Outreach, Skill Development for Industry
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recognized International Civil Aviation Day on Friday by encouraging outreach to ensure the continued globalization of air transportation and highlighting a need to focus on the development of skills and capabilities.
ICAO continued a theme of “Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind” for this year’s aviation day, and in a joint statement Council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu and secretary general Fang Liu noted that 4.1 billion passengers and 56 million tonnes of freight were carried last year with no signs of slowing down.
“But in order to take advantage of this growth and optimize it for their local businesses and populations, governments must commit to raising their levels of ICAO compliance to be in line with global norms,” the leaders said. “Improving local skills and capabilities to assure ICAO compliance can be a daunting task for many developing states."
The No Country Left Behind theme acknowledges these challenges while encouraging assistance from more developed states, they said. These efforts are working to expand travel to more countries, they agreed. Availability of highly trained skilled local resources also is a factor in the ability of states to implement emerging technologies, such as drones, they added.
Noting ICAO will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, the leaders said the organization is planning a series of new youth-oriented innovation contests in 2019 to spur interest in the industry.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AIN Alerts is a publication of AIN Publications, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
