FREE PDF - Business Aircraft Census 2012

The fragile state of the world's largest economies, coupled with political volatility in global hot spots, has continued to stifle business aviation's much-needed recovery.

Aviation analysts concede the industry is positioned for a rebound after five years in the doldrums - but global uncertainty is blocking progress. "I describe the market as underwhelming," says Richard Aboulafia, senior analyst with US-based Teal Group.

"The decline in key indicators has been halted and reversed - unsold inventories are down, utilisation and fuel sales are up and, of course, the US stock market and corporate profits are strong. However, the recovery has been quite muted," he says.

GLOBAL INVENTORIES

The business aviation industry's weak performance is illustrated by Flight International's 2012 business aircraft census. Data compiled by Flightglobal's Ascend Fleets database shows that in the 12 months from 30 September 2011, the world's active turbine corporate aircraft fleet climbed by about 2.5% to more than 29,000 jets and turboprops, compared with 28,300 aircraft in 2011.

The jet inventory has climbed by a modest 565 aircraft to 17,974 - including 391 for the first nine months of the year. The turboprop tally, meanwhile, has nudged forward by 180 types to little more than 11,700 - 177 in the past nine months.

The MRO landscape in North America continues to evolve

With specialist maintenance units closing and relatively slow demand growth predicted for North America, many airlines are starting to reassess their MRO set-ups

Consolidations, bankruptcies and facility closures are changing the North American maintenance, repair and overhaul landscape, affecting capacity and choices for where airlines can carry out maintenance.

Boeing's market outlook shows the most significant fleet growth in North America over the long term will be for single-aisle aircraft, which are expected to increase from 3,730 today to 6,090 by 2031. Twin-aisle orders in this region are set to increase only slightly, while large aircraft and regional deliveries will actually contract by the end of the forecast period.

Airframe maintenance in North America is expected to have a slow rate of growth overall compared with Europe and Asia, says aerospace consultants TeamSAI in its 2012-2022 global forecast. Average compound annual fleet growth in the region from 2012-17 is expected to be minus 0.3%, then (plus) 2.1% until 2022. Based on fleet needs, MRO spend will only increase by around $300 million in North America to about $16.4 billion at the end of the forecast period.

Boeing Says Customers Confident Of 737 MAX

Despite the customary “price pressure” of introducing an updated model against strong competition from the Airbus A320NEO, Boeing is seeing a payoff from the improved fuel technology offered in its re-engined 737 MAX from customers who are willing to pay a premium above current models to get it, Chairman and CEO James McNerney says.

“We are getting paid for the new technology that we are putting into the airplane,” he said. “Customers are recognizing the value that they are getting with this new airplane.”

McNerney spoke Wednesday during a third-quarter earnings call in which the company reported revenues of $20 billion, a 13% gain from the same period in 2011.

The MAX has recorded 858 firm orders, many of them conversions from the current 737 Next Generation series, and continues on schedule to achieve its firm design configuration in 2014 and service entry with Southwest Airlines in 2017. McNerney says the company’s $307 billion backlog has been fueled by MAX orders. “We expect a continued flow of order traffic to year-end,” he says.

A320neo's first Pratt & Whitney test engine takes shape

Airbus’ A320neo programme has moved a step closer to the real aircraft with the assembly of the first engine-to-test – the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PurePower PW1100G-JM engine. This engine is due to begin testing very soon at P&W’s facilities in Florida, USA. 

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system for the fan. This configuration was validated in Toulouse on Airbus’ A340 flying-testbed aircraft in 2008 during P&W’s ‘geared-turbofan’ conceptual phase. The gear allows the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core is a solution which delivers fuel efficiency and environmental benefits.

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Related links :

• NEO = New Engine Option
• A320 NEO Official Page

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Paul Adams, Senior Vice President, Operations & Engineering, Pratt & Whitney said: “Pratt & Whitney is proud that its PurePower PW1100G-JM will be the first engine to enter service on the Airbus A320neo. We are confident the Geared Turbofan provides the best value proposition for the future, and that our new engine for the A320neo family is well positioned to support Airbus in this market segment.”

Did French prime minister accidentally reveal big Airbus order?

Airbus parent EADS, whose merger talks with BAE Systems leaked to the press in the summer, may find more of its business subject to accidental early disclosure - this time by the French prime minister.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, who has just returned from Singapore and Philippines to help drum up business for French companies, told Airbus workers his trip had highlighted the importance of remaining competitive on world export markets.

But departing from a prepared speech for the opening of a new Airbus factory in southwest France, Ayrault then referred to billions of dollars of plane orders that did not appear to correspond to business already announced from those countries.

"I would like to add that during this trip, Airbus signed an order for 15 aircraft and took options for the A350 and possibly the A380," Ayrault told an audience of 1,000 staff and media.

The A380: 5 Big Years

On the fifth anniversary of the Airbus A380’s maiden commercial voyage – a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Sydney – KARAMJIT KAUR highlights five superlatives about the superjumbos in Singapore Airlines' fleet.

It debuted to much fanfare on October 25, 2007, carrying passengers from across the world who had bid for a seat on the historic Singapore Airlines A380 flight from Singapore to Sydney. Close to S$2 million (US$1.59 million) was raised for charity in the process. Five years on, Singapore Airlines has 19 A380s flying to 10 destinations worldwide. Here are more awesome statistics about the largest passenger plane in the world.

High Stakes for Airbus in Getting New Jet to Market

Less than two weeks after its parent abandoned a megamerger with BAE Systems, Airbus is set to enter a critical new phase in the development of its newest airplane, the A350, which will come under greater scrutiny as the industry faces a cyclical downturn in new orders and a still-tentative recovery in air travel. 

On Tuesday in Toulouse, France, Airbus plans to hold a formal inauguration of the final assembly line for the A350, a twin-engine wide-body jet that is scheduled to enter commercial service in late 2014. The aircraft will be the first by Airbus to have more than half of its structural components made from lightweight, plastic-based composite materials, rather than aluminum. 

Airbus opens A350 plant to meet rising competition

European planemaker Airbus (EAD.PA) inaugurated a factory for its A350 jetliner on Tuesday, sparking a new phase in the race for fuel efficiency and profits with U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N).

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault fought through fog and an air traffic control strike to fly to Toulouse, southwest France, to name the plant after "Father of Airbus" Roger Beteille, a pioneer of twin-engined long haul passenger jets.

Built in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the A350 is Europe's first contribution to a new generation of jets designed to cut airline fuel bills by using mainly lightweight carbon-composite materials instead of the heavier aluminium.

Airbus and Boeing expect total demand for more than 6,000 such mid-sized, long-range jets over the next 20 years and their arrival is leading to new routes bypassing crowded hub airports.

It is a market worth several hundreds of billions of dollars and is set to upstage the largest jetliners such as the Airbus A380 superjumbo and the latest version of Boeing's 747.

But both firms face huge construction challenges for the revolutionary jets, woven and baked out of carbon fibre that is stronger and lighter than metal but costlier to produce. Neither the A350 nor the 787 is expected to make a profit for years.

Airbus says the A350 will take to the skies in the summer of 2013 and enter service in the second half of 2014, a year later than originally scheduled. Three different models of the aircraft will seat between 270 and 350 people.

OFFICIAL PICTURES - Skydiver Felix Baumgartner lands highest ever jump

Austrian Felix Baumgartner has broken the record for the highest ever skydive by jumping out of a balloon 128,000ft (24 miles, 39km) above New Mexico.

The 43-year-old was hoping also to break the sound barrier during his descent - although that mark awaits confirmation.

Video cameras relayed the moment Baumgartner stepped from his balloon capsule to begin his fall to Earth.

It took just under 10 minutes for him to reach the desert surface below.

Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute. Once down, he fell to his knees and raised his fists in triumph. Helicopter recovery teams were on hand moments later.

None of the new marks set by Baumgartner can be classed as "official" until approved by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).

Preparing to fall to Earth: 'Fearless' Felix's 23-mile supersonic skydive to go ahead TODAY

Officials have given the all-clear for extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner to attempt the world's first supersonic skydiver with a 23-mile free fall over New Mexico this morning.

His team said the weather appeared favourable as his team began unpacking his 30-million cubic foot helium balloon that will hoist a 3,000-pound capsule carrying him 23 miles up into the sky. 

He is hoping to become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier by jumping from a capsule floated more than 120,000 feet into the stratosphere by an ultra-thin, 55-story helium balloon.

The jump was postponed due to wind Monday, then aborted twice more for the same reason on Tuesday and Thursday. Meteorologists say conditions will finally be favorable for the jump Sunday morning.

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The balloon is so delicate that it can take off only if winds on the ground are 2 mph or less.

Baumgartner is disappointed 'like the rest of us' but taking a couple of days of critical downtime, his high-performance athletic trainer, Andy Walshe, said Wednesday.

See Why Every US Aircraft Carrier Needs A Ouija Board

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a deadly and complex scene, riddled with incoming aircraft, snapping steel cables and the ever present risk of calamity and death.

Flight Deck Control (FDC) is where the deck scene is coordinated and during flight operations it's one of the busiest places on the ship, with everyone working on the flight deck constantly in and out tracking aircraft and information.

FDC is festooned with computer screens and video displays of all that's occurring outside on deck, but it's also home to one of the more arcane pieces of equipment in the Navy.

The Ouija board is a waist-high replica of the flight deck at 1/16 scale to the foot that has all the markings of the flight deck, as well as its full compliment of aircraft — all in cutouts, and all tagged with items like thumbtacks and bolts to designate their status.

While objects can mean different things on every carrier, purple generally designates fuel, and the Eisenhower uses a purple hex nut to signify when an aircraft is being refueled.

A green thumbtack can mean an aircraft is first to go; orange can mean an aircraft must be parked with its tail hanging over the lip of the deck.

Robocopter arrives

After unmanned drones, pilotless helicopters are taking to the sky to deliver supplies to troops

Attack aircraft, such as Predator and Reaper, have become a familiar part of modern warfare. But an army, famously, marches on its stomach, and campaigns can be lost as easily by a lack of supply as by a lack of firepower. That, combined with the increasing squeamishness of rich countries about taking casualties, is leading to the use of a new type of drone in the form of unmanned helicopters to deliver supplies. Pioneered by the armed forces, these hovering robots will also find civilian roles.

Two unmanned helicopters have been flying experimental combat missions delivering goods to American marine outposts in Afghanistan since December 2011. The project has been such a success it has twice been extended and may well run until September 2013. The helicopters in question are modified versions of the K-MAX, built by Kaman, an American aerospace firm. They are used in a number of military roles and in civilian jobs, such as logging and power-line construction, as a sort of airborne sky-crane cum delivery truck.

BAE Systems and EADS: Why the deal collapsed

“If I wasn’t a born optimist, I would not have started this project.” So declared Tom Enders earlier this week, in a letter to employees marking his 100th day as EADS chief executive.

Only now has it become clear just how optimistic Enders was being.

Enders the optimist tried to achieve in one month what his predecessors had failed to do in the previous 12 years – resolve the political tensions at the heart of EADS once and for all through a merger with BAE Systems.

He even convinced BAE Systems that he could achieve this. However, even for an optimist, it proved impossible

Enders saw a merger with BAE as a means of facilitating the end of France and Germany’s grasp on EADS.

The US Air Force Thunderbirds F-16s at the Constanta Air Show 2011 in Romania

BAE Systems faces uncertain future after collapse of EADS merger talks

The proposed £30bn merger between BAE Systems and EADS may have collapsed but uncertainty still reigns for Britain’s defence giant.

The proposed £30bn merger between BAE Systems and EADS may have collapsed but uncertainty still reigns for Britain’s defence giant.

The companies’ decision to abandon talks has left many fearful that BAE is now more vulnerable to a takeover bid or a break-up.

The company claimed yesterday that it would carry on as it was before, building up its existing businesses and expanding in its international markets. But that no longer seems to be a luxury the company can afford.

Troubles mount for American Airlines after it cancels more flights over loose seats

Troubles continue to mount for American Airlines, which was forced to cancel 44 flights Friday as it scrambles to fix seats in its Boeing 757s that could pop loose during flight.

The nation's third biggest airline announced that 44 flights are canceled on Friday. Fifty flights were canceled Thursday.

Airline officials said late Thursday that they had come up with a fix for the seats, and they began pulling 48 Boeing 757s out of service to make repairs. All the planes should be back in service by Saturday. 

Officials said a combination of wear, poor design and even soda spilled into the tracks can cause seats to become loose during flight.

The loose seats are one of many problems facing the troubled airline. 

Preparing for take-off - A cheaper, cleaner way for the long taxi to the runway

Engines on airliners are highly efficient when they are in flight, but not when operating on the ground. When a plane is taxiing under its own power, the engines burn vast amounts of fuel. A Boeing 747 can consume a tonne of fuel and emit several tonnes of carbon dioxide during an average 17-minute taxi to take-off. And when the aircraft lands there is likely to be another long drive to the passenger gate. Which is why there are various methods being developed for aircraft to use other means of propulsion while moving around an airport.

Towing aircraft with a tug, similar to how they are pushed back from the gate, is one way. But constantly pulling on the front landing gear can lead to mechanical problems. Many pilots would also prefer to be in control of the driving once their aircraft is on the taxiway.

BizJets Helping Spur European Recovery, Study Finds

Business aviation is playing a key role in helping with the economic recovery in Europe, a new study finds, saying that each passenger flown on a business aviation flight generates the same gross domestic product as nine business passengers on a scheduled flight.

The European Business Aviation Association retained Oxford Economics to conduct the study to determine the value of business aviation in Europe. The study finds that contrary to popular belief, business jets and turboprops in Europe are primarily used for business purposes rather than by wealthy individuals. For that reason, the study says, business aviation takes on a different importance than other forms of aviation. But “in policy terms, however, the added value of business aviation flights is often either overlooked in favor of the much larger number of commercial flights or attributed into a broad category alongside all other various forms of general aviation.”

10 Futuristic Pieces Of Luggage That Will Make Travel A Snap

Luggage has come a long way since the days of old world trunks and valises. Wheels, zippers, and extendable handles have all made lugging around 50 pounds of stuff much easier.

But all great things can be made better, and so designers and inventors are setting about to create suitcases, accessories, and briefcases that answer all of our travel needs.

Combating every woe from a lack of available airport seating to a dying smartphone, these 10 luggage advances are meant to make travel as painless as possible.

A suitcase that compresses to fit into an overhead storage bin

Finally, a suitcase that is always carry-on-friendly. The Baseline CX Uprights will literally compress to fit in overhead storage, or expand if you need more room.

Cost: $399-$549

People in Aviation: October 2012

Kurt Edwards, formerly the FAA senior advisor for policy, international aviation, and environment, was named director general of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). He replaces Donald Spruston, who is retiring.

Signature Flight Support has appointed Sami Teittinen as CFO. Before this appointment he held the same position for sister company ASIG.

Mike Flint, previously v-p and sales director for corporate aircraft finance with GECapital, has joined CIT Business Aircraft as v-p of U.S. sales.

UK-based private jet charter and per-seat market broker Victor has appointed Stef Slavujevic as head of AOC partner development. Most recently he was v-p of global sales and business development at Flight Focus.