Honda Aircraft Plots Further Expansion, Another Sim

With 123 HondaJets and HondaJet Elites now in service, Honda Aircraft is embarking on another expansion of its Greensboro, North Carolina facility to accommodate production ramp-up and parts demand for those aircraft. Honda Aircraft is investing $15.5 million in an 82,000-sq-ft building that will be used for wing assembly for the HondaJet Elite, capacity that the company said will make the production process more efficient. Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft, said the company is looking at automation technologies that will be incorporated into the new facility. In addition, the facility will house parts storage. Ground-breaking is scheduled for July.

To open in July 2020, the facility is part of an overall $245 million investment Honda Aircraft has made in production, training, MRO, and other facilities on its 133-acre campus in Greensboro. “As the HondaJet's popularity and presence continue to increase around the world, it is necessary for our facility to meet our production and service needs while operating at the highest level of efficiency,” Fujino said.

In addition, Honda Aircraft is expanding its training capacity for the HondaJet Elite with plans to add a second simulator. The company is still evaluating locations for the simulator, but Fujino said it would likely be housed in Europe “because of the strong customer demand” there.

TAC Air Nears Debut of Its Newest FBO

TAC Air is planning to open its 15th FBO in August in a more than $100 million redevelopment of the former Braniff Airlines Operations and Maintenance Base and Braniff International Airways headquarters. Built by the flamboyant and now defunct Texas-based airline and opened in 1958 at Dallas Love Field (DAL), the maintenance hangars and offices have been undergoing a conversion to the Braniff Centre, whose tenants will also include Flexjet; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’s company, Blue Star Land; and Reed Enterprises and its auto dealership Planet Lincoln, the latter two of which are converting a multi-level parking garage adjacent to the center into offices and an automobile dealership. 

Another feature of the center is 100,000 sq ft of space for uses that are expected to include restaurants, retail shops, and offices. “We really had to get thoughtful in the design of the center,” Greg Arnold, chairman and CEO of The Arnold Companies, TAC Air’s parent, told AIN. The 19-month-long project involves working closely with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the mid-century modern architecture of the hangars and offices. 

One of the major changes to the 26-acre site included razing a Braniff office and maintenance shops building and replacing it with a gated, private courtyard and parking spaces for TAC Air and Flexjet customers

Aircraft Laser Strikes Decline 23 Percent in Two Years

The FAA reported 5,663 aircraft laser incidents in 2018, down from 6,754 in 2017 and 7,398 in 2016, the year with the highest number of laser attacks reported. “Heightened public awareness of the serious safety risk posed by lasers reduced the total number of laser strikes for the second consecutive year,” according to the agency. However, the substantial number of reported incidents clearly shows that laser strikes on aircraft remain a serious threat to aviation safety, the FAA added.

Through video programs and other means, law enforcement agencies and the FAA have worked to increase public awareness of the dangers posed by lasers. Also, since 2012 it’s been a federal crime to aim a laser at an aircraft. The FAA determined that such an event violates Part 91.11: “No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties on board an aircraft.”

As a result of this determination, stiff fines and jail time can be imposed to help discourage perpetrators. The crime is punishable by a fine of $11,000 per incident up to $250,000, and up to five years’ imprisonment. To date, the agency says civil penalties of up to $30,800 have been imposed by the FAA against individuals for multiple laser incidents. The FAA has published Advisory Circular 70-20A, which details how pilots and other crewmembers can report a laser illumination.

Brana to Take Charge of Dassault’s Falcon Line

Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier announced at EBACE 2019 that Carlos Brana, deputy executive v-p of civil aircraft, will replace longtime executive v-p Olivier Villa on July 1, with direct responsibility for all marketing, sales, and customer support activities for the Falcon Jet line. 

“For the company, I hope it will not change anything,” Brana told AIN. “Olivier was already doing a tremendous job.” Brana credited Villa, who assumed his current position in 2003, and Dassault Falcon Jet president and CEO John Rosanvallon for preparing him for the position. “Both of them taught me a lot,” Brana said. “So I’m very lucky to have those great teachers, and I hope with all the education they provided to me I will be able to implement [those lessons] in the new position.” 

His biggest challenge going forward? “Selling,” he said, noting that most of his time will be devoted to the existing Falcon product line, but the in-development Falcon 6X will gain a larger share of attention as it nears entry into service in 2022.

Interest Grows as Citation Longitude Nears Approval

Textron Aviation’s newest Citation jet, the super-midsize Longitude, is set for full U.S. FAA certification and entry into service (EIS) in the third quarter of 2019, with EASA validation due to follow next year. Ron Draper, who stepped in as the company's CEO in October, conceded that certification will follow a longer-than-anticipated certification process. “We may have gotten a little aggressive, to put it in perspective, with some of the dates we put out,” Draper said, to achieve FAA certification of its biggest Citation, which was originally expected in 2017.

“We did underestimate the amount of paperwork with the FAA’s new design assurance process. That process is very rigorous, and we may have underestimated the amount of time to get that done,” he said. “But we’re nearing the end of that.”

Despite the certification delays, sales of the Longitude are “going well and [we] expect it to have a successful track record like the Latitude has had,” said Draper. Textron Aviation has continued to demonstrate the 3,500-nm Longitude around the world and “the response has been outstanding,” said senior v-p of sales and marketing Rob Scholl.

One customer anxious to receive the Longitude is NetJets, which last fall placed options for up to 175 of the super-midsize jets, and has since converted the first seven into firm orders. It has been introducing the Longitude to prospective customers using a Textron Aviation demonstrator.

AsBAA Chairperson Jenny Lau To Step Down

Jenny Lau, founder, president, and CEO of Hong Kong-based Sino Jet Management, has decided to relinquish her role as chairperson of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA). Lau will step down at the association’s annual general meeting in Singapore on June 11, and AsBAA is taking nominations for the next chairperson until May 24.

In an open letter to members on May 21, Lau thanked the business aviation community in Asia for its support. “After a challenging and highly rewarding two years, the time has come to pass the baton to the next leader of the association,” she said, adding, “I am enormously grateful for the support that has been given to me personally and to the association during my time as leader. The association will continue to move at great momentum to represent the needs of the industry in Asia.” Lau said she hopes to transition from chairperson to a board of governors (BoG) role.

AsBAA released a statement saying that at its annual general meeting on June 11, association members will elect five individuals to make up the new board of directors (BoD). A chairperson will then be appointed from among the group.

The AsBAA BoG supports the BoD with the daily running of the association. “Both BoG and BoD positions are now open to nominees from the membership,” said the statement.

FlightSafety Debuts G650 LCY Steep Approach Course

FlightSafety International has introduced a steep approach course for pilots operating the Gulfstream G650 into London City Airport (LCY).

The Gulfstream G650 London City Special Airport Training program includes an eLearning module, ground school, and a simulator session at an FSI Learning Center. Material includes an overview of LCY along with coverage of regulatory requirements, arrivals, approaches and landings, ground operations, departures, noise abatement, and human factors/CRM.

The course will be available at FSI centers in Dallas, Hong Kong, Long Beach, Savannah, Wilmington, and Farnborough.

Commenting on the new course, FlightSafety senior vice president operations Dann Runik said, “FlightSafety courseware developers and simulator engineers worked with their counterparts at Gulfstream to develop this new training program.” FlightSafety has been the official factory authorized organization for Gulfstream for more than four decades.

First Chicago-area Bizav Forum ‘Incredibly Productive’

Global Jet Capital, the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association, and Jet Support Services concluded their first The Business of Business Aviation Forum on May 16 at DuPage Airport in West Chicago.

More than 70 industry professionals attended the day-long event, hosted by DuPage Flight Center, that featured a static display of business aircraft including a Bombardier Challenger 350, Dassault Falcon 900EX, Embraer Legacy 500 and Phenom 300, Gulfstream G280, Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24, Cessna Citation M2, and Beechcraft King Air 200.

Sessions led by industry experts covered such topics as financial products available to business aviation and how they can be leveraged; aircraft maintenance basics and residual value forecasting; available maintenance products and services; and a look at the current business aircraft market and the variables affecting it, including domestic and international economic issues.

“It was exciting to continue the dialogue with members of the Midwestern business aviation community,” said Mike Christie, Global Jet central U.S. head of origination and forum presenter. “Understanding regional perspectives and being able to offer our own expertise in business jet financing made this an incredibly productive opportunity for everyone involved.”

How are OEMs doing at supporting their products?

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2019 AIN Product Support Survey is now online, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine and avionics support. AIN readers who have been selected to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their account number and link to the online survey website by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 7. Visit this site for more information or if you want to participate in the survey.