New Citation M2 ready for 'wing mate'

The first production unit of the new Citation M2 has reached the significant milestone of wing and fuselage mating. Certification is expected in the second half of 2013.

"The M2 program is progressing well, and we are all looking forward to advancing to the certification process and starting customer deliveries," said Dick Friesen, Cessna value stream manager for the Mustang and M2 in Independence, Kansas. "This is the moment when we can see an aircraft take shape, and we hope it is equally exciting for our customers who want to start flying their M2." read more, plus pictures

Minor details, major difference Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive of London Executive Aviation (LEA), one of Europe’s largest business jet charter operators, shares his views on the importance of customer service and explains why consistency is crucial to maintaining a leading reputation. n the business aviation industry, reputation is everything. This may be a small-margin industry, but expectation levels among customers tend to be sky high, meaning every journey - from the initial enquiry through to arrival at the final destination - must be seamless. In such a competitive marketplace, even the most simple of oversights can have a damaging effect on future business. Last month, I outlined why the culture of safety must run through every aspect of day-to-day operations, and the same philosophy applies to customer service. Providing a high-level inflight experience is, of course, essential, but developing and maintaining an eminent reputation goes far beyond what happens in the air. At LEA, we pride ourselves on attention to detail and, from the moment an enquiry is received, we aim to be on the front foot to minimise the amount of thought and effort that has to be invested by the customer, or their personal assistant, in planning the flights. The first point of contact is absolutely crucial, which is why we invest in customer care training for our operations centre staff and pilots. read more

Playing safe One of the world’s leading flight training experts Nicolas Bachmann, accountable manager for Horizon Swiss Flight Academy, is warning the corporate aviation sector of an impending crisis in the quality of pilots available for hire. He is also making recommendations on what the industry can do to avert the situation. he worldwide shortage of qualified pilots across all aviation sectors is already well documented, but the business aviation industry is teetering on the verge of a disaster unless it tackles the issues now. Traditionally, pilots head for the airlines first and then move into business aviation. What looks likely to happen is that there will be more pilots flying for the airlines and there will be fewer top calibre pilots available to the corporate sector. As an industry which is dependent on its reputation, this could have dire consequences for safety, unless it does something now. The public perception of business aviation safety is a delicate topic. Last July the entire crew of an American private jet was killed in the south of France when it crashed on landing. The twin-engined Gulfstream-IV came down at Castellet airport, between Marseille and Toulon, with all the victims believed to have died on impact. Awful though the event was, the mainstream media often leap on such stories and distort them to put our industry in a negative light. Last June Bloomberg reported that the crash rate on private-pilot flights in the US was up 20 percent since 2000. The writer contrasted this with a roughly 85 percent drop in accidents on commercial jetliners, gleaned from data from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. In 2011 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration used the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee to study accidents, which discovered that the largest category of accidents are those in which pilots lose control during flight. read more

BlueSky's '25 Most Popular Business Aviation Departure Airports in Europe' in association with Avinode

This fortnightly popularity ranking is based on the number of unique flight requests with their first passenger leg departing out of IACO codes starting with E, L, and U, transmitted through the Avinode Marketplace over the last 30 days. When followed over longer stretches of time this chart will give you a sense of seasonal changes in-flight patterns and general flight patterns in Europe.

For the full list of 25, click here

POSITION			AIRPORT	NAME / NEAREST CITY	(PREV)
1			UUWW	VNUKOVO.MOSCOW	(1)
2			LFMN	NICE, COTE D'AZUR	(2)
3			LFPB	LE BOURGET	(3)
4			LSGG	GENEVA COINTRIN	(4)
5			EGGW	LUTON, LONDON	(6)

AirJet Designs unveils new cabin interior for A319

In January this year, Toulouse-based AirJet Designs completed the design for an Airbus A319 owned by an undisclosed individual from Asia. The project is currently undergoing VIP completion at Sabena technics in Bordeaux, France, with delivery expected for mid-2013.

Forward looking view of the A319 VIP lounge

The aircraft is an airliner that is converted in full VIP configuration for the personal use of the owner. The forward section is a VVIP lounge with a Club 2 seating area, a Divan with high-low coffee table, and two Club 4 seating areas. read more

YASAVA Aeronautics and MCM Designstudio come together as YASAVA Solutions SA

YASAVA Solutions SA, a joint venture between YASAVA Aeronautics and MCM Designstudio, has been created to offer innovative solutions in sustainable luxury for the aviation and transportation sector, based on intelligent ergonomics and socio-cultural design parameters.

At EBACE in Geneva next week YASAVA Solutions will introduce the ASTRAL™ Design Series, a new aircraft interior concept for classic ultra-long range corporate jets. read more, plus pictures

Air Charter International partners with Special Security Defence Services to provide integrated emergency evacuation solutions Air Charter International (ACI), the Dubai-based aircraft charter and leasing company, has signed a partnership agreement with the UAE headquartered risk assessment company Special Security Defence Services (SDSS). The new agreement, which is effective immediately, positions ACI as the exclusive aviation provider for SDSS clients needing air evacuation services. In addition SDSS will provide ACI with on the ground evacuation expertise and planning. The new deal has been driven by the need to provide support to the growing number of oil and gas companies that are operating in increasingly remote, challenging and often post conflict areas. read more

JETSTREAM Aviation Academy awarded full ATO approval by UAE Civil Aviation Authority

Following extensive audits at its Dubai and Athens training centres, JETSTREAM Aviation Academy has received certification from the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (UAE GCAA ATO 20/2013) as an Approved Training Organization (ATO).

This initial certification contains approvals for ATPL (A) Integrated and CPL (H) Modular Ab-Initio courses, Initial Type Rating training for the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 300-900, as well as Type Rating Instructor training.

All requirements outlined in the current GCAA Car Part IV – Special Operations regulations were met, as well as the detailed GCAA CAAP 33. read more

Private jet charter network, PrivateFly.com, estimates that £4.6m of potential revenues from the new extension of Air Passenger Duty (APD) to business jets will be lost in the first year.

The tax, which came into force on 1 April 2013, applies to business aviation flights departing from the UK, regardless of the aircraft's country of origin. According to PrivateFly, many operators of aircraft based outside the UK will be unlikely to pay up.

PrivateFly used flight activity analysis from industry data provider WINGX-Advance.com to estimate the annual revenue potential from APD on business jet flights at £9.3m*. 

The company says half of this potential revenue will be payable from UK-based operators or owners, with the remaining 50 per cent from non-domiciled aircraft - on their UK flight departures. PrivateFly forecasts that most of these overseas operators will not pay, resulting in the £4.6m loss. read more

GKN Aerospace creates complex composite wing structure using new manufacture and assembly processes

GKN Aerospace has successfully concluded a composite manufacturing and assembly research programme using of out of autoclave (OOA) processes and materials and PI shaped woven preforms.

These technologies are among those with the potential to transform the future manufacture and assembly of large composite aero-structures - and produce the performance gains the industry seeks in the next generation of airframes.

The OOA Composite Processing Phase II programme used OOA materials to design, develop and manufacture an affordable, lightweight, blended aircraft wing box featuring integrally stiffened skins, complex contours and four different stringer shapes. read more

Nigerian Business Aviation Conference celebrates a successful first event

The first ever Nigerian Business Aviation Conference hosted by Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) on Tuesday the 7th May proved to be a resounding success for the organisers, delegates and speakers.

The conference was designed to provide a platform for raising awareness of the growing business aviation industry in Nigeria and hosted by dynamic chair Alasdair Whyte provided attendees with a lively debate discussing a range of topics.

Segun Demuren

Segun Demuren, MD/CEO of hosts EAN opened the meeting outlining the need for a better understanding of the value of business aviation in Nigeria as an economic driver for the country and surrounding regions, and its significance in developing international business. read more

Paula Kraft, founder and President of Atlanta, GA-based Tastefully Yours Catering.

Today I stumbled upon a news article on Medicinal Mixology said to be the latest food trend to hit the culinary beverage world. It took me by such surprise I felt I just had to share it with you. Said to be the latest, hottest, greatest new trend to come up in a long time . . . Drink your salad! Yup, you heard me right! Since people around the world don’t get all the necessary nutrients on a plate and many find those nutrients might be better if taken with a wee bit of alcohol, this trend of drinking your salad has appeared.

My first instinct to the news was that we, as caterers, need to learn how to prepare the base for these drinks; how to muddle kale leaves or how to create not just the Bloody Mary base for a flight, but to make it with arugula as well. The caterer in me questioned what is a normal serving, how will I package it, how will I keep it cold, not even giving thought to how on earth do I find the recipe. Are there schools to teach this? Or do we just get to take a creative guess on what should be in the cocktails? read more

TriaGnoSys plays integral role in development of new cockpit safety protocols

TriaGnoSys is using its aeronautical communications expertise to help design an Advanced Cockpit for Reduction of Stress and Workload (ACROSS). ACROSS is an EU-funded research project developing new cockpit solutions to both manage and reduce aircrew operations.

Pilots are prized for their ability to deal with high workloads. However, air crash studies have shown that times of high stress or a depleted crew can lead to potentially fatal errors. ACROSS will develop, integrate and test new cockpit solutions to help manage peak workload during a flight, in order to reduce stress and therefore the risk of accidents.

ACROSS will also work towards solutions that will allow reduced crew operations in a limited number of well-defined conditions, such as long-haul flights or a crew member becoming incapacitated. read more

ExecuJet gears up for EBACE

ExecuJet Aviation Group is once again exhibiting at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva next week.

The company will be at stand 851, Hall 6, showcasing its full suite of business aviation services and has three aircraft on static display: an Airbus A320, Bombardier Challenger 850 and Bombardier Challenger 300.

A320 Batthroom

Andrew Hoy, Managing Director of ExecuJet Aircraft Trading, says: “We look forward to showcasing our full range of services, as well as three long-range aircraft, which are also exclusively for sale through ExecuJet Aircraft Trading. EBACE is always a positive, focused show where we know we will conduct good business.” read more, plus pictures

Also: ExecuJet Africa sees high demand at Lagos, Nigeria facility

AMAC Aerospace surpasses expectations on first wide body inspection

Maintenance and completion services specialist, AMAC Aerospace, has completed its first wide body inspection at its state-of-the-art headquarters at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

The AMAC maintenance team performed the 12 year inspection on the B777-200 aircraft at its third new wide body hangar, and delivered the aircraft to a private customer in the Middle East on time, within budget and to the highest quality standard despite a number of unforeseen technical findings.

Following the inspection, Bernd Schramm COO, said: “AMAC Aerospace’s expertise coupled with their on-time delivery has exceeded our expectations. We are delighted with their performance.”

Kadri Muhiddin, AMAC Aerospace Chief Executive Officer and Group Executive Chairman added: “ With this success under our belt, we look forward to welcoming other esteemed clients with wide body aircraft with requirements for first class aviation maintenance services.” read more

Major expansion for Avalon Aero at Cranfield

UK based Avalon Aero has announced the acquisition of larger hangar premises at Cranfield Airport, Bedfordshire, to satisfy all major base checks and modifications on BAe 146 / Avro RJ aircraft, for current and future customers.

The maintenance facility, which is expected to be functional by late June and fully modernised by Summer 2014, is the next step Avalon Aero have taken to ensure it’s growing number of BAe 146 / Avro RJ customers can experience the full package of efficient and affordable maintenance and continuing airworthiness management that Avalon Aero have gained a strong reputation for over the past decade.

Martin Darling, Technical Director, explains that “Avalon Aero have picked the optimum time to develop, and are delighted that the relationship forged with Cranfield Airport has allowed us to push Avalon Aero into a great position to offer it’s growing customer base a maintenance facility that will fully cater to their requirements." read more

In order to bring you the very latest news from Geneva, next week's BlueSky will be published on Friday 24th May.

Euro BA activity enjoys an Easter 'bounce', but underlying trend is downward According to WINGX`s latest monthly Business Aviation Monitor, there were 54,000 private and charter flight departures in April, more than 10% growth on April 2012. read

March and Q1 2013 pre-owned Business Jet, Turboprop and Helicopter market information Jetnet has released March 2013 and 1st Quarter 2013 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop, helicopter and - for the first time - commercial airliner markets. full report

Why paying attention to the Media is a good thing. Deanna Harms, EVP, Greteman Group - a marketing communications agency in Wichita, the Air Capital - offers valuable advice . . . read

Restaurant Ordering. Paula Kraft, founder and President of Atlanta, GA-based Tastefully Yours Catering. read

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