International News from the Business and Private Aviation Industry
 United States BAE Systems to create new jobs with Alabama expansion Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has welcomed plans by global defense contractor BAE Systems to launch a major expansion that will create a substantial number of jobs and add new capabilities at its operations in Huntsville. In an announcement coinciding with the start of the Farnborough International Airshow, BAE Systems revealed the $45.5m project to expand its operations in Alabama. The company said the expansion will create hundreds of new  Governor Kay Ivey “BAE Systems’ decision to carry out this significant expansion project in Huntsville is a powerful testament to the expertise that makes Alabama’s ‘Rocket City’ an aerospace hub,” said Governor Ivey, who is attending the air show with a state business development team. “It’s great to see a world-class company like BAE Systems expand its presence - and create good jobs - in Alabama, where aerospace is continuing to take off,” she added.
United States: US DOT announces $659.8m in infrastructure grants to 390 airports in 47 states US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration will award $659.8m in airport infrastructure grants, as part of $3.18bn in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the United States. This second increment of funding provides 450 grants that will fund 664 infrastructure projects including runways, taxiways, aprons, terminals, aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles, and snow removal equipment. US infrastructure, especially its 3,323 airports and 5,000 paved runways, increases the country’s competitiveness and improves the traveling public’s quality of life. According to the FAA’s most recent economic analysis, US civil aviation accounts for $1.6tr in total economic activity and supports nearly 11 million jobs.
 Deanna Harms, executive vice president, at Greteman Group, a marketing communications agency in Wichita, the Air Capital. Livestream highlights aviation’s digital marketing usage Ever wonder if you’re getting the most out of digital marketing, or how your usage compares to others in the aviation industry? We’ve been asking ourselves similar questions, so as we reported in the June 7 issue of BlueSky, we conducted an aviation-specific survey. We presented the results during our first livestream event on July 12. Digital Director Jordan Walker and Digital Strategist Shae Blevins shared results and also offered insights from their analysis. They especially focused on creative, content marketing and measurement. Here are some highlights.
Creative Use In general, static banner ads make up most of creative and available online placements. However, the survey revealed the industry is branching out to more creative types, including rich-media banners and video.
Training: Delta selects FlightSafety to provide training for the Delta Propel Career Path Program FlightSafety International has been selected by Delta Air Lines to provide flight training to the company’s employees through the Delta Propel Pilot Career Path Program. “This new and innovative approach to hiring the next generation of pilots, while advancing employees from within is an excellent opportunity for Delta employees to benefit from the highest quality and most comprehensive programs available," said David Davenport, Executive Vice President. "We look forward to welcoming Delta employees to the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Florida starting in December.”
The employees selected by Delta to participate in the Propel program will earn FAA multi-engine commercial instrument ratings and become qualified as a Certified Flight Instructor at FlightSafety Academy. They will then be offered an opportunity to work at the Academy as an instructor while building the 1,500 hours needed to meet FAA requirements to hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate.
Rotor: Powerful and versatile Airbus H125 leads the market in North American law enforcement Airbus delivering US built aircraft to agencies faster than one per month. The Airbus H125 accounts for nearly half of all new law enforcement aircraft delivered in North America since 2007. Airbus has delivered 20 H125s to law enforcement agencies in the US and Canada in the last 18 months.
This year alone, H125s have entered service for organizations including Seminole County, Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department, and Ontario (Calif.) Police Department.
United States: AvFab receives FAA TSO approval for its Beech 1900 commuter seats Clinton, MO-based Aviation Fabricators (AvFab) has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) C39b authorization from the FAA for its Beech 1900 "Econo" seats. A TSO authorization is both a design and production approval. The seats are designed for rugged wear and add long-term value for Beech 1900 operators who desire maximum seating. The seat is engineered for comfort, durability and affordability.
This TSO adds to AvFab's 150+ unique Supplemental Type Certificate products, many of which also have foreign approvals. The company also recently received EASA approval for its popular Citation stretcher, and Transport Canada approvals for its King Air two-place divans and toilet cabinet seat.
ATR  Maggie Bergsma ATR has appointed Maggie Bergsma Head of Communications and Corporate Branding. Maggie joins ATR from Airbus Defence and Space where she held several senior communication roles for the last seven years after having been with Airbus Commercial Communications for eight years, and spending 15 years in international consultancy prior to that. Maggie will report to Chief Executive Officer Christian Scherer.
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Farnborough: Qatar Executive unveils its first state-of-the-art Gulfstream G500 Private jet division to receive 25 additional new aircraft by 2022. Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, proudly unveiled its brand-new executive jet, the Gulfstream G500, on the opening day of Farnborough International Airshow.
The all-new aircraft will officially join Qatar Executive’s fleet by the end of this year, and will mark the beginning of an agreement that was initiated in October 2014, between Qatar Airways and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. The company expects to receive eight of the 25 additional new aircraft it has on order between now and the end of 2019.
Europe: TAG Aviation introduces first Global 5000 equipped with Premier cabin destined for charter in Europe TAG Aviation Europe is the first to offer the ultra-long range Global 5000 aircraft, outfitted with Bombardier’s standout Premier cabin, for charter to European customers. The Premier interior’s striking aesthetics and ergonomic innovations bring a new level of refinement to the cabin experience, blending contemporary design, sumptuous materials and flawless craftsmanship with exceptional comfort, spaciousness and productivity.
The Global 5000 aircraft will be based in Paris and represents the ninth addition to TAG Aviation Europe’s managed fleet of business jets since the charter operator was awarded the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from Transport Malta last year.
Farnborough: Inmarsat and European Space Agency complete major milestone toward air traffic modernisation Leading global mobile satellite communications provider, Inmarsat, and the European Space Agency (ESA), have successfully completed the first test flight using the world’s most advanced aviation satellite technology for their Iris programme in support of European air traffic modernisation.
The evaluation is a significant step forward in realising more precise flight surveillance and more efficient air traffic management.
Africa: Air Partner, the global aviation services group, was recently called upon to assist in the successful relocation of a lion on behalf of the Born Free Foundation. The lion cub “King” was discovered in a Paris apartment in October last year, where he had been kept illegally as an exotic pet and neglected by his owner. Since then, he had been living temporarily at Natuurhulpcentrum rescue centre in Belgium but was recently found a new permanent home at Born Free’s Big Cat Rescue Centre at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Air Partner was tasked with transporting the big cat from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth on a chartered aircraft, from where he made the hour-long journey to Shamwari.
Air Partner’s freight team was on hand at all times to assist with the complex custom clearing process in Johannesburg and ensure a smooth transition from King’s initial commercial flight on Kenya Airways to the chartered Beech 1900 for the next leg of his journey. The turboprob was chosen for its suitable cargo size, which allowed two vets to travel alongside the lion with access at all times. Ensuring the safe loading and unloading of King was paramount, as was his health and welfare.
Farnborough: Rolls-Royce builds the world's greatest engine - brick by brick Rolls-Royce is getting ready to inspire budding engineers across the world by challenging them to build one of its engines of the future – brick by brick. While the real-life UltraFan, a next generation jet engine designed to power commercial aircraft, won’t be available until the middle of the next decade, a scaled-down LEGO version of the engine could be in the shops much sooner as a campaign to have the engine immortalised in the famous plastic bricks is close to reaching a key milestone.
And while the LEGO version of the engine won’t deliver up to 100,000lb of thrust and have a fan diameter about the height of an elephant, at 2,953 individual pieces it is still an engineering challenge and incorporates its own gearbox and rotating set of fan blades. It is one of a number of creations that are up for a public vote on the LEGO ideas site.
Germany: Air Charter Service takes Germany’s biggest club night to the skies Leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, recently arranged a VIP-configured, fully customised ‘Club Jet’ to take some of the world’s biggest DJs to host a party in the skies, before kicking off a huge clubbing weekend in Germany.
Alle Farben DJ-ing in the sky. BigCityBeats’ ‘World Club Dome’ is a highlight of the clubbing calendar, and described as “one of Europe's biggest EDM and dance festivals”. It consists of a whole weekend of DJs playing to more than 120,000 clubbers over 20 different dancefloors in Frankfurt. The party doesn’t start at the club in Frankfurt though - around 100 lucky guests begin the experience at more than thirty thousand feet on an Airbus A340 between London and Germany, directly before the main event takes place. The aircraft is configured in such a way that there is enough room for the decks, the sound system and for people to get up and dance.
Farnborough: World Fuel Services is playing a pivotal role at this year's Farnborough International Airshow as the supplier of fuel and equipment to the show’s commercial and business aviation visitors. With new aircraft come new operating requirements, thus airshow host TAG Farnborough Airport has partnered with World Fuel to develop an event-specific solution including new trucks, equipment and Avgas.
To service the airshow’s worldwide visitor base, World Fuel Services Trip Support is offering flight planning, weather, ground handling and necessary regulations to ensure thorough support for customers through every phase of their flight to and from the show. "We have a long-standing relationship with TAG Farnborough and it is a pleasure to support them in hosting what is widely renowned as one of the most significant event in the aviation calendar," said Mark Amor, World Fuel Services’ vice president. "The airshow isn’t just for aviation enthusiasts or professionals, but also for families and children some of whom could well be our next generation of pilots."
SETOps: Esterline wins throttle quadrant assembly contract for new Cessna Denali Global defense and aerospace technology leader, Esterline Corporation, will build-to-print flight control devices under a Textron Aviation design for the new Cessna Denali single-engine turboprop. The Cessna Denali is expected to achieve FAA certification in 2020.
“This win to supply the throttle quadrant assembly follows Esterline’s recent award for providing the control wheel for the Cessna Denali aircraft, an original design by Mason,” said David Tessier, President of Esterline Mason.
The Essentials of International Trip Planning A Brief Guide for Private Jet Operators Flying Internationally. Following the recent success of his series of articles in BlueSky, Dr Adnan Branbo, CEO of leading international trip-planning and flight services management company, iJET, has produced an invaluable guide to the essentials of international trip planning for private jet operators.
Published as an eBook, this 'go-to' guide addresses Overflight & Landing Permits, Navigational Fees, Airport Slots, Crew Visas and Fuel Purchase, plus insights into country-specific regulations. |
 United Kingdom: Leading universities unite to strengthen UK aerospace sector Leading aerospace universities are creating a national consortium to provide the global aerospace community with a centralised point of engagement to the UK’s top university aerospace research capabilities. Embracing the full aviation spectrum (airlines, aircraft, airspace and airports), the National Aerospace Research Consortium (NARC) will enhance the UK’s already leading position within the sector and provide a clear means of communication with equivalent national organisations and multi-national initiatives. NARC will align itself with the Aerospace Technology Institute’s established four technology pillars (Aircraft of the Future; Future Propulsion; Smart, Connected and Electric Aircraft of the Future; and Aero Structures of the Future) with an additional National Airborne Test stream. The Consortium aims to create a UK-wide infrastructure of accessible, integrated and world- class research facilities to support each pillar. The universities that currently make up NARC have already started work on the Future Propulsion pillar with a collaborative proposal for a network of advanced electric and hybrid-electric propulsion development facilities.
Farnborough: ExecuJet to establish new MRO facility in Malaysia ExecuJet has signed a contract with Malaysian Airports at the Farnborough International Airshow to establish a new MRO facility within Subang Airport, Malaysia. ExecuJet is currently the largest MRO in Malaysia for business aircraft operating in Subang Airport from an existing hangar and office facility measuring approximately 64,000 square feet. The upcoming development, known as Malaysia Airports’ Subang Airport Regeneration initiative, is an exercise to revitalise the Subang Airport ecosystem, where Subang Airport is envisioned to be positioned as a vibrant city airport, a hub for business aviation and a complete aerospace ecosystem.
Farnborough: World leading rotorcraft turbine manufacturer, Safran Helicopter Engines (SHE), has awarded a global OEM and MRO parts support contract to Pattonair until 2025, the leading aerospace and defence supply chain service provider. The contract was signed on Tuesday at the Farnborough Airshow by Franck Saudo, President, Safran Helicopter Engines, and Wayne Hollinshead, CEO of Pattonair. Incumbent supplier, Pattonair, won the competitively bid contract to support 16 Safran sites globally and deliver over 6,000 C class parts to 180 locations worldwide through to 2025.
 Paula Kraft, founder and President of Atlanta, GA-based Tastefully Yours Catering. Let’s drink our way to healthy . . . I knew that would get your attention! You think I am talking about beer, wine or alcohol, right? Not really. We all agree that water is the best way to stay hydrated, and those in the air need loads of water on hand. Good, clean, fresh water . . . be it a designer brand or generic. There are actually more beverages that we might want to think about stocking on the aircraft (than the usual sodas, alcohol and juice) that will come in handy for all kinds of situations.
We can divide our need for drinks into several categories; for fitness, for aiding an illness, for general overall health, and for adult enjoyment. For most of the suggestions I am about to make, you will probably find the supplies on board your aircraft in the galley or pantry. If not, some of these beverage suggestions might be worth considering as a galley addition.
Switzerland: Swiss maintenance facility, Air Service Basel - based at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg - has received authorisation from the Mexican Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) to support small and mid-size business aircraft registered in Mexico including King Air, Textron and Falcon. The certification was approved after the DGAC representatives conducted a full audit in Basel over the first week of June. “We thought the audit went very well and the Mexican Inspectors seemed very satisfied with our facility” said Air Service Basel’s Quality, Safety & Security Manager, Uwe Paukner “and it’s a great achievement to be able to extend our services to Mexican customers.” An additional certification awarded to the maintenance facility and FBO, alongside its existing range of approvals and capabilities, including EASA, FAA and IS-BAH, reflect the company’s high-quality standards and exceptional service.
United Kingdom: Daher is assuming full warehousing responsibilities for approximately 28,000 handling tools used by Rolls-Royce in the manufacture of jet engines across the company’s UK production network. Under terms of the agreement, Daher is centralizing and stocking the support tooling in a 30,000-sq.-meter warehouse at Doncaster in northwest England, as well as packaging and dispatching of these tools to manufacturing sites, followed by their return to storage. The extremely diverse tooling weighs from 0.5 kg. to 30 tons, and is used across the Rolls-Royce production network for handling jet engine components that range from fan blades to large powerplant modules. These responsibilities build on a 15-year relationship with Rolls-Royce, during which Daher has provided tailored-made tooling containers and kitting for the jet engine manufacturer’s production flow.
Austria: Summer in Style: Top European destinations now serviced by scheduled bizjet flights Weekend flights inside Europe are about to become even more attractive. JetClass, a tech-enabled airline service offering seats on business jets, has introduced ten new flights connecting the hottest summer destinations to commemorate its first anniversary, and to bring some extra flair to weekend getaways.  JetClass CEO, Wagas Ali In addition to the current existing routes connecting various business hubs of Europe, JetClass passengers will now be able to step out of the jets in Nice (France), Olbia (Italy), and Palma de Mallorca (Spain).
World’s largest collection of model aircraft goes on permanent display at Shannon Airport Pilot seeks judicial review of EU flying regulations VistaJet reports record number of flights in 1H 2018 Summer season starts with strong growth in business jet charters
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Wimbledon champion visits London Biggin Hill Airport
London Biggin Hill Airport welcomed Angelique Kerber, the Ladies’ Singles Champion, after her stunning 6-3 6-3 victory over seven-time champion Serena Williams at Wimbledon last weekend.
Kerber was at London Biggin Hill Airport to take part in a photoshoot for NetJets, the world’s largest private jet operator. She is a NetJets Owner and Ambassador, and used the private jet service to fly home on Monday after a fun evening at the annual Champions Dinner, alongside Mens’ Singles Champion Novak Djokovic.
The tennis star is the first German woman to claim the title at the All England Club since Steffi Graf in 1996. Her success in London adds to her two other Grand Slam titles - the Australian Open and US Open, both in 2016.
Andy Patsalides, marketing manager, London Biggin Hill Airport, says: “It was an honour to host Angelique Kerber after her fantastic match over the weekend. “London Biggin Hill Airport is known as being the gateway to the capital for business aviation, so it is the number one choice every year for those attending, or participating, in Wimbledon. Plus with our helicopter shuttle taking just six minutes to the centre of London, it’s ideal even if you’re running late for the match.”
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