NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen expects this year’s NBAA-BACE to reflect the energy and enthusiasm of an industry that is stabilized and looking to the future evolution of aviation with a breadth of far-reaching product innovation and a diversity of businesses.
“The aviation industry is changing; it's evolving, it's adapting, and it's in some ways transforming. I think you'll see all of that on display at NBAA-BACE,” Bolen said.
New products have long been a highlight of NBAA and have fueled the industry during its struggles over the past decade. In recognition of the important role NBAA-BACE has played in the introduction of new products, the convention is hosting a first-ever session to enable companies to highlight their wares tomorrow at the Innovation Zone.
Beyond the conventional, evolving technologies will be on display.
Another area where convention organizers—working in concert with a cross-section of industry—are hoping to compel change is in sustainability. Momentum has been growing on the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), beginning with collaborative agreements at the 2018 EBACE, which grew into aircraft flying in on SAF to this year's EBACE in Geneva. “Now we're going to have it actually at the event itself….not just [for] flying in, but flying out,” he said.
Aircraft systems manufacturer Honeywell Aerospace predicts 7,600 business jet deliveries worth approximately $248 billion over the next decade. The Arizona-based company issued its 28th annual Global Business Aviation Outlook on the eve of NBAA’s annual conference and exhibition, covering a period through 2029. This year’s prognostication is down slightly from last year’s forecast, which called for 7,700 aircraft deliveries worth $251 billion.
Among the aircraft the company tracks in its survey (excluding personal jets and bizliners), Honeywell lowered its 2019 delivery numbers from 715 to 690 jets, due to longer than anticipated certification times on some programs and slow ramp-up rates on others. That represents a rise from 2018’s 633 deliveries, and the aerospace giant sees even more on the horizon for next year.
“Production ramp-up on many new business jet platforms will lead to a 7 percent increase in deliveries in 2020, following a strong projected growth in 2019 over 2018 aircraft deliveries,” said Heath Patrick, the company’s president for Americas aftermarket. “We are confident that these new and innovative aircraft models will support solid growth in the short term and have a continuing impact on new business jet purchases in the mid- and long-term.”
The company predicts total deliveries of 740 jets in 2020, according to Gaetan Handfield, its senior manager of marketing analysis who prepared the outlook.
Bizjet Broker: 2020 Uncertainty Driving Used Activity
After a slow summer for preowned business jet sales, Mente Group president and CEO Brian Proctor said he’s seen a notable change in the market. It’s why he expects a swing to more preowned transactions between now and year-end. “It feels like right now, on the buy side, that there’s more activity than there’s been in a while, with a lot of people focusing on trying to get things closed before the end of the year,” Proctor told AIN.
Mente Group is a Dallas-based business jet broker that also consults to business aviation operators. Most of the preowned inventory it deals with are midsize and larger business jets.
There’s a lot of uncertainty among business jet buyers going into 2020, and that’s why Proctor expects a surge in transactions ahead of the new year. What’s driving the uncertainty among buyers in 2020 includes the upcoming U.S. presidential election, the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, and a recent move by the Federal Reserve to increase its balance sheet by boosting liquidity in the market.
Proctor said pricing is driving the speed with which a preowned jet will move on the market. While there is some price sensitivity among preowned buyers, they are not solely focused on value, They are looking for a fair price.
With Brazilian, European, and U.S. approvals in hand for installation of its AFI 4700 RoadRunner electronic flight instrument (EFI) on Leonardo A109/119 helicopters, Astronautics is looking to certify the unit on additional helicopter and fixed-wing platforms, as well as working on a series of upgrades. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-headquartered electronics specialist unveiled RoadRunner in 2016 as a drop-in replacement for legacy attitude director indicator and horizontal situation indicator primary flight instruments.
Working with an installation partner, Astronautics obtained U.S. FAA approval in June, followed by EASA and ANAC nods on the A109/119 in subsequent months. Next up, said Astronautics president Chad Cundiff, is approval from India. “Units are going around the world,” Cundiff said. Astronautics has turned to additional platforms, including Bell 212s and 412s. On the fixed-wing side, Astronautics has discussed installations with both military and commercial turboprop operators, Cundiff said.
In addition to its expansion in the marketplace, Astronautics has been putting the final touches on the first upgrades for RoadRunner. “We’re planning a nice set of incremental upgrades,” he said. The first batch addresses interfaces with certain legacy navigation equipment, along with customizations requested by customers, Cundiff said. The company further is plotting out two more upgrade phases with additional features, he added, saying plans call to further detail those enhancements in upcoming months.
In the latest evolution of its nice cabin management system (CMS), Lufthansa Technik is showcasing at NBAA 2019 its nicechat voice-recognition system for the CMS, in development at LHT’s Original Equipment Innovation (OEI) branch.
“Many of us have in our homes Alexa or Siri and are getting used to having a certain level of automation using voice recognition,” said OEI product division head Andrew Muirhead. “There’s an expectation from the consumer to use [such apps] in the aircraft.”
The Hamburg, Germany-based company is displaying in a mockup section of a business jet cabin a prototype nine-foot long, voice-commanded ceiling panel with OLED displays that can simulate different decors and appearances. By voice command, it can mimic a stucco ceiling, a mural, or a skylight looking into the heavens, for example.
LHT aims to show attendees nicechat can have powers beyond what home users expect. “We’re focusing on things that typically take a little more effort, things you have to go into a menu to do,” such as setting room to cinema mode or configuring full-spectrum lighting.
VisionSafe EVAS Now On More Than 1,000 Gulfstreams
VisionSafe has equipped more than 1,000 Gulfstreams with the emergency vision assurance system (EVAS)—the only FAA-approved smoke technology available. Gulfstream is the first OEM to equip with EVAS. It is standard equipment on the G650 and G650ER and has been fitted on more than 50 percent of the GV family, including the G550.
EVAS provides a clear space of air in which a pilot can see flight instruments and out the windshield in a cockpit smoke emergency. More than 7,000 EVAS systems have been delivered to date. It has been certified for use by 10 OEMs and has been installed in more than 3,000 Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Dassault Falcon business jets. The system comes with a 10-year warranty. VisionSafe offers simulator training with FlightSafety International and CAE.
In an emergency, the Inflatable Vision Unit (IVU) is removed from the compact EVAS case and a pull tab inflates and activates the system. Visibility of the instrument panel and out the window is regained when smoke goggles are placed in contact with the EVAS clear window. EVAS is designed to run for two hours and filter down to 0.01 microns. It has a self-contained battery-power supply, pump, and filters. VisionSafe uses a fleet of mobile cockpit demonstrators to show potential customers the system’s benefits. of the system. EVAS demonstrations use a fog generator to reduce cockpit vision.
Astronics Showcasing Million-Miler EVS
At NBAA-BACE 2019, advanced technologies provider Astronics Corporation is displaying a Max-Viz Enhanced Vision System (EVS) that logged 1.1 million nautical miles in flight. The Astronics Max-Viz 600 EVS unit was recently retired after performing flawlessly on a Cessna Caravan flown by Industrial Maintenance Services for more than 10 years.
Launched in 2001, the Astronics Max-Viz EVS uses thermal imagery based on infrared sensors that can detect temperature changes of less than one-tenth of a degree Celsius. Proprietary technology combines signals from visible light sources with signals from infrared sources to provide a clear, live video image of the surrounding area at night or in poor visibility.
Max-Viz EVS units can be installed on more than 170 models of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Corporate Angel Reception To Raise Money for Good Cause
On Wednesday night at NBAA-BACE, business aviation leaders will once again have the opportunity to show their support for the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) at the Fund an Angel Cocktail Reception and silent auction. The event will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and all proceeds of the auction will benefit CAN’s mission of using business aircraft to transport cancer patients to specialized treatment centers. Founded in 1981, the charity recently flew its 60,000 patient and coordinates more than 250 such flights per month.
The auction will feature a wide selection of items, including aviation-related goods and services to vacation experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to bid on items throughout the event while networking with their peers. As is customary, items can be previewed on the event website (fundanangel.org) and available for advance bidding for those unable to attend the event.
“The cocktail reception is an excellent way to connect with everyone who supports CAN all year round,” said executive director Gina Russo. “We enjoy having the industry’s top leaders in one place to connect, while also supporting a great cause.” She added it is also a way for the organization to say thank you to its partners, without which its mission would not be possible.
Free Seminar at NBAA: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Basics
Alternative fuels are slowly but surely working their way into fuel supplies worldwide and many of the turbine-powered aircraft that will fly to Las Vegas for the NBAA-BACE static display will burn some amount of sustainable aviation fuel. AIN’s 1.5-hour live forum during the NBAA show in Vegas will bring together a panel of industry experts to explain how this fuel is gaining ground, why it is good for turbine engines and the environment, and how you can help move the needle on the use of sustainable aviation fuel in the aircraft that you operate. Register today for this free luncheon seminar on October 23 at 12 noon PT (seating is limited). Moderated by AIN editor in chief Matt Thurber, it will feature panelists Steve Csonka, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative; Charles Etter, Gulfstream Aerospace; and Keith Sawyer, Avfuel Corp. Sponsored by World Fuel Services, Farnborough Airport and Gulfstream Aerospace.
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