Completion · declining,” said a Cessna Aircraft source. ... “that we’d already started...

Eighteen months after the recessionbegan in earnest and the business aviationindustry started its rapid downhill slide,there are signs of a recovery.

At the Ebace show in mid-May, thenumber of attendees was up slightly from10,917 in 2009 to 11,174 this year, and thetotal number of exhibitors was up from 411to 436. In terms of the quality of the cus-tomers, “This is the best Ebace we’ve had,”said Lufthansa Technik senior v-p ofmarketing and sales Walter Heerdt. TheHamburg, Germany-based independentcompletion and refurbishment company hada “successful” year last year and Heerdtexpects this year to be more of the same. The second of two executive AirbusACJs was delivered to the German govern-ment last month and the second of twoAirbus A340-400s is expected to be deliv-ered to the government before year-end.

“This was by any standard a successful[10th] anniversary for Ebace,” said associa-tion president and CEO Brian Humphries.“On the heels of such a difficult period forthe aviation industry, this year’s Ebace hada particular excitement surrounding it, andI am encouraged at the possible signs ofour industry turning around.”

There was also good news from theGeneral Aviation Manufacturers Association

(GAMA), if only since, as grandpa saidduring the tail end of the recession of1937-38, “Things ain’t gettin’ worse as fastas they was.”

While GAMA reported that in thisyear’s first quarter airplane deliveries weredown 15 percent from the same period lastyear, “This is an improvement over thedramatic decline experienced in the firstquarter 2009 deliveries as compared withthe first quarter of 2008.” Better, GAMAreported total industry billings grew 7.1 percent in the first three months of this year, primarily the result of interna-tional deliveries of large-cabin, long-rangeairplanes. (See AIN, June, page 8.)

Business jet brokers have been watchinga slow increase in demand for low-time,large-cabin used aircraft. And as thatdemand increases, so are the prices, arousingthe interest of those fence-sitters who werewaiting to see just how low those priceswould sink. “The used aircraft market isdeclining,” said a Cessna Aircraft source.“At one point, 17 percent of the total used-aircraft fleet was for sale, and now that’sdown to 15 percent.”

So what does this all mean for thecompletion and refurbishment industry?Good news, that’s what.

The budget for purchase of a used

aircraft virtually always includes funds fora cabin refurbishment, either because theairplane has a few years on it and needs it,or simply because the décor is not to thenew owner’s taste. That budget might befor a minor refurbishment with new carpet,fresh upholstery and refinishing of veneerand metal fixtures, starting at about$200,000. Or it might call for a majorupgrade refurbishment that can costanywhere from $900,000 to $2 millionwhen all the latest communication andentertainment goodies are added.

According to Kevin Hoffman, presidentand CEO of Aerospace Concepts inMontreal, a relatively low-time GlobalExpress currently sells for about $25million. Adding a major cabin upgrade islikely to bump up the cost by another $2million at most. That would typicallyinclude high-speed Internet connectivity, a new cabin-management system, high-definition Blu-ray video and a couple of42-inch high-definition video monitors,12.5-inch seat-mounted HD monitors,satellite-direct television and satellite radio,

22 Aviation International News • July 2010 • www.ainonline.com

A creative product of London-based Andrew Winch Designs, this BBJ cabin was completed by Jet Aviation of Basel, Switzerland. It is representative of the effort by designers and completion centers not to fool thepassenger into thinking he is not flying, but to make him perfectly at ease with the fact that he is.

A Tu-134conversion toexecutiveconfigurationby AeroStyle ofMoscow

• In the cabin it’s all about connectivityPage 24

• Completion & Refurbishment briefs Pages 23, 24, 28, 32, 34

• Completion Centers directorywww.ainonline.com/resource-center

• Vendors directorywww.ainonline.com/resource-center

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Completion& Refurbishment

2010

Signs of industry recovery are encouraging, but are they realistic?by Kirby J. Harrison

and docks for such passenger carry-onentertainment as iPods, iPhones and videogames. Add another $500,000 to $1million for some other upgrades and exte-rior paint, and what you end up with, saidHoffman, is (in the cabin, at least) theequivalent of a new $53.25 million GlobalExpress XRS at about half the price.

“This year, compared with last year, isfantastic,” said Jerry King, chairman andfounder of King Aerospace of El Paso,Texas. “We’ve got more stuff quoted thanwe have in years.”

King said the 17-year-old company,which also offers maintenance and overhaul,serves two major market segments–single-aisle and widebody bizliner completionand refurbishment, and military modifica-tions and maintenance. The facility nowhas two single-aisle projects in the hangarand that, according to King, is enough. “Wewant to do only two big airplanes a year, dothem well and deliver them on time.”

Like other executives of completion andrefurbishment companies that are emergingfrom the recession, King attributes part ofhis company’s survival to multiple revenuestreams; in the case of King, the companytook advantage of its military contacts toincrease its government modification andmaintenance workload.

Jet Works Air Center has seen someslow times, but as of late, said presidentTrey Bryson, “We’re seeing a lot more bidopportunities and activity, and it’s startingto translate into contracts, particularlywith what we call the ‘big iron’ [single-aisle bizliners].” Bryson said a BBJrefurbishment is currently in the works. Inthe near-term, Jet Works closed on a BBJrefurbishment early last month and was atthe same time in final negotiations for anMD-87 executive reconfiguration.

The Denton, Texas company last yearopened a 43,000-sq-ft completion hangar“that we’d already started building.” Atthis point, added Bryson, “We’re at about70 to 75 percent hangar capacity, but likeeverybody else, we’d like that to be about110 percent.”

DeCrane Aerospace, which has consis-tently worked to become a one-stop shopfor all things interior, battled through therecession. “As it was for everyone else,2009 was not a good year,” said Heidi

McNary, v-p of sales and marketing.The company spent part of last year

“finding the best footprint,” which includedsome restructuring prompted by a drop in2009 earnings of about 10 percent.

“In 2008, when the market was hot,there was capacity for growth in all three ofour cabinetry shops,” she said. When themarket cooled that capacity dried up andone solution was to move the Precision Pat-tern Interiors shops in Denton, Texas, andSavannah, Ga., in with the main cabinetryfacility in Wichita. It is now known asDeCrane Aerospace Precision Pattern.

Also moved was its racks-and-trays,cockpit surveillance systems and power-distribution specialist Hollingsead Inter-national into the Georgetown, Del. facilitiesof DeCrane’s Pats Aircraft Systems center.“We already had many similar core compe-tencies and a similar market base and itmade sense to consolidate,” McNaryexplained. Hollingsead International’s Cen-tury One cockpit surveillance system wasmoved to DeCrane’s Audio Internationalfacility in North Little Rock.

Meanwhile, McNary said the companyis staying busy, doing all the cabinetry forCessna Aircraft’s Citation CJ series and the

Sovereign and Citation X, as well as forHawker Beechcraft’s new King Air 350i. Atthe recent Ebace show, DeCrane announced14 new products, “at least one from everydivision in the company.” DeCrane compa-nies also provide entire cabin interior kitsfor Embraer’s Lineage 1000, an executiveversion of its E190 airliner. The Pats facilitycontinues to focus on Boeing Business Jetauxiliary fuel tanks, “and we’re close to a similar auxiliary fuel system for theBoeing 757 that will extend the rangeupwards of 40 percent.”

Midcoast Aviation is also seeinggrowth. “Business is certainly better nowthan at this time last year,” said senior v-pof green completions Rodger Renaud.

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Starling Advanced Communications hasintroduced its new StarPack, a single-case,fly-away antenna for single-person usethat provides global two-way, high-speedKu-band satellite broadband.

According to v-p of marketing and salesJacob Keret, “The product’s rugged con-struction provides excellent durability,making it suitable for the harshest condi-tions and locations.” It requires no landinfrastructure and provides seamlesscommunications and easily delivered video,voice and data files, he added.

The self-contained system consists of anantenna panel, positioner, all RF units andamplifier. It is available in a wheeled carry-on measuring 22 inches by 14 inches by 10inches and weighs 46 pounds.

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In the Saudi city of Jeddah is a lesserknown turn-key company that can take youall the way from aircraft acquisition to delivery,and has done so successfully for manyclients. President and CEO Abdulaziz A. AlRowaished is no stranger to Middle Eastowners and operators, and has just playedgood shepherd to a Gulfstream G550 buyerwhose airplane is being operated on behalfof the owner by NetJets Middle East.

The company’s latest project is one ofconsiderably larger proportions–a Boeing777-200LR on which the interior completionwork is to begin at Amac Aerospace ofBasel later this year. The airplane is due fordelivery in the second half of 2012, to anundisclosed private owner.

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Twenty-one aircraft put up for sale lastNovember by a charter operator enteringbankruptcy proved to be a golden opportunityfor Moline, Ill.-based Elliott Aviation. “Weentered the recession with a strong cashposition and when the opportunity pre-sented itself we were able to finance it withcash,” chairman and CEO Wynn Elliott toldAAIINN. Elliott acquired eight Beechjets,including five 400As and three 400XPs.

“We immediately sold three, sevenmore were sold within 60 days and the eighth shortly thereafter. All eight went to companies primarily within theU.S., but one went to Lebanon and two went to Brazil,” Elliott said. Manyneeded paint and interior refurbishment so Elliott was able to offer prospectivepurchasers the opportunity to go to the Moline facility and pick out the paintand interior refurbishment specifics. “Weonly spec’d out one of the aircraft our-selves. All the rest were designated by thecustomer,” he said.

Bombardier’s all-composite Learjet 85, due to enterservice in 2013, incorporates sleek, modern designfrom overhead LED lighting to curved side ledges,left. The Canadian OEM pushed the envelope to create additional storage space, including sliding drawers under the seats, below.

Briefs

Briefs continue on next page u

Producing quality furnishings for business jet cabinsrequires highly skilled artisans. Above, AssociatedAir Center’s Mike Beil cuts a line of silver inlay intothe wood veneer of a table top.

Eurocopter Brings Mercedes-Benz Style to EC145

As more and more upscale automobilemanufacturers move into the interiordesign of private aircraft, Mercedes-Benzhas taken another turn, this time with aspecial-edition EC145 cabin, complete withall the hallmarks and passion expectedof the Mercedes-Benz Advanced DesignStudio in Como, Italy.

The machine, the auto company’sthird major creative venture into aircraftinteriors in the past seven years, wasintroduced at Ebace. It is a modularapproach, combining luxury and flexibilitywith the finest leathers and carpet, execu-tive seating, a cooling box, table, monitorand DVD player. A center console offersdrawers for additional storage.

A partition wall with windows sepa-rates the cabin from the cockpit andprovides a degree of privacy. Ambientcabin lighting similar to that in aMercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Classautomobile is integrated into the design.Seats for the four passengers are onrails, allowing the cabin to be quicklyreconfigured to a number of seatingarrangements, or some seats can beremoved for additional luggage space. n

Continues on page 28 u

www.ainonline.com • July 2010 • Aviation International News 23

“What made this a profitable transac-tion with a quick turnaround was ourability to do everything from research andacquisition to in-house refurbishment andheavy maintenance. Having control over allfacets of the project significantly reducedthe time to completion and kept the budgetunder control.”

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Vincent Rey, Florent Magnin and Jean-Francois Jacq cut their teeth in the world ofaviation design by working with some of the better known interior design offices.The three struck out on their own in 2006 andformed M&R Associates Design in Geneva.

With several new widebody airplaneswaiting in the wings to begin service overthe next two or three years, M&R haslaunched its most ambitious design projectto date, an Airbus A350 proposal.

“Luxury does not mean ostentatious orflashy design,” said Magnin. “Our clients wantharmony with style, discretion and simplicity,and all with cutting-edge technology–a tasteof elegance without arrogance.” To that end,the team is creating a sense of open,spacious, unrestricted space. “We want tosteer away from traditional criteria, to openspaces using materials, light and othersophisticated and refined details,” said Rey.

This technology includes OLED (organiclight emitting diode) screens to present theimage of a transparent wall. A specialtheater in the aft section includes a largehigh-definition screen and seating particu-larly designed for comfort of the viewer.

A central table in the lounge is equippedwith multi-media “soft-touch” so that apassenger can navigate the Web, downloadpictures and update personal data or profes-sional documents right on the tabletop. Thedining table features a thin marble surfacethrough which the light of an “e-foil” canpass, creating “an enchanting effect of inter-play between the light diffused by the tableand the crystal plates and glasses.”

Finally, the overall goal was to break upthe “mailing tube” effect and create a newarchitectural rhythm, said Rey.

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Monaco-based Jet Alliance, a corporatejet consulting company, plans to sourcehigh-quality, previously owned CitationJetsand refurbish them in collaboration withU.S. independent interiors and MRO specialistDuncan Aviation.

The finished CJ-NewGen will offer anavionics upgrade, complete OEM-level stripand paint, and a major cabin refurbishment.Each renovated CJ will arrive with EGPWS,RVSM, TCAS, Waas, FMS, MFD and more.Best of all, said Jet Alliance managing direc-tor James Healy, “It will sport a price tagless than half the cost of new.”

uContinued from preceding page

Briefs continue on page 28 u

More than ever, completion and refur-bishment centers are aware that in-flightconnectivity remains the focus of businessjet buyers, whether it’s a major refurbishmentor a green completion. Just a year ago,Inmarsat’s Swift64 and SwiftBroadbandsatellite communications were the bestoptions for worldwide access to e-mail aftertakeoff. Now most of the major satcomequipment manufacturers are offering e-mail-over-BlackBerry products that link throughthe Iridium satellite array. And despite band-width limitations, passengers seem to havefew complaints, especially as it is easy toinstall, relatively light in weight and cost, andwill support access for up to 10 passengers.

EMS Aviation was the first on board thenew communication link with Forté Air-mail through its SkyConnect division.Competitors, including Aircell, Interna-tional Communications Group and True-North Avionics, were close behind.

The advantages are numerous. The sys-tems are light in weight and adaptable insmall aircraft and the purchase price isrelatively low for the package. The Fortésystem, for example, including Wi-Fi inter-face, Iridium transceiver and antenna, costsbetween $25,000 and $50,000, depending onwhat ancillary equipment is already in place.

TrueNorth has come up with a new twiston in-flight telecommunications–SimphoneOpenCabin–a system that uses a suite of enterprise-level software apps to bringadvanced voice and data-managementcapabilities into the cabin.

The Simphone OpenCabin has beenpicked by Canadian completion and refur-bishment center Flying Colours for thecenter’s Challenger 850 cabin completionprogram. It is also being installed on aChallenger 850 by European servicesprovider Ruag Aviation.

While e-mail-over-Iridium has caught onand growing numbers of completion andrefurbishment centers are getting requests forit, others want more, and there is no shortageof manufacturers catering to the demand.

Aircell, EMS Aviation, Honeywell, ICG/Cobham, Rockwell Collins, TrueNorthAvionics and Danish satcom maker Thrane& Thrane all offer SwiftBroadband services,the successor to the slower Swift64.

Arinc has become a distribution partnerfor Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband satellitecommunication services, a move it believeswill allow it to provide tailored solutions toaircraft operators. It should also give Arincstronger buying power with Inmarsat,allowing it to offer more competitiveairtime packages to its customers.

SwiftBroadband is available throughInmarsat’s I-4 satellite array and providessimultaneous voice and standard Internetprotocol data at rates up to 432 kbps per channel.

Currently, the service is limited to twochannels per aircraft but is expected toincrease to four channels beginning in2012, allowing a higher bandwidth throughcombining channels.

Aircell high-speed Internet service pro-vides coverage anywhere over the continentalU.S. above 10,000 feet, and connection ratesare as fast as, or faster than, what might beexpected in a hotel or local coffee shop.

This Internet service is already availableon airliners at $12.95 a flight. Pricing forbusiness aviation fliers will range from$395 a month to $1,995.

Aircell has also partnered with Thrane& Thrane to offer a new SwiftBroadbandconnection that will be smaller, less costlyand more acceptable for smaller aircraftusers. It is based on Thrane & Thrane’s newAviator 200. According to Aircell, it willallow passengers to use personal laptops andmobile devices seamlessly for data service.

The new Aviator 200 uses the sameavionics as Aero-SB Lite, and it requiresonly a small blade antenna capable ofachieving SwiftBroadband data speeds up to 200 kbps. Thrane & Thrane is also re-branding its existing SwiftBroadbandproduct line to adopt the new Aviator name.Accordingly, the Aero-SB Lite system withan intermediate-gain antenna becomes theAviator 300; the Aero-SB Lite with high-gain antenna is now the Aviator 350, andAero-SB+ is the Aviator 700.

Entertainment Continues To Be a Hot Button

Elsewhere in the cabin, Lufthansa Technikhas introduced its Nicemate, a 2.2-pound,multi-tasking unit with a WLan device,cellular GSM/3B connection and media/maintenance/network server. Nicemate willbe available on new aircraft starting inJanuary and will be available as a retrofititem by the end of next year.

Lufthansa Technik has also introduced“Aerosight,” a new cabin surveillance cam-era system, installations of which are tobegin in January. It will automaticallyswitch between a color day-view mode andinfrared night view. The system will simul-taneously accommodate up to 16 camerasin the pressurized area of the aircraft.

Honeywell has launched its new JetMapHD, which it describes as a 1080p, 3-D, 15-meter-per-pixel worldwide solution.

In the cabin, it’s all about connectivity

This Falcon 900 cabin mirrors the demand by aircraft buyers for in-flight connectivity, from e-mail-over-Iridium to high-speed Internet with speeds up to 432 kbps per channel.


Briefs

Dassault’s Falcon 7X shows the creativity of BMW’s DesignWorksUSA with executive seat designs drawn fromthe world of high-end automobiles. Also worth noting in this particular cabin is a nod to the growing demandfor high-speed Internet connectivity and high-definition entertainment. Continues on page 26 u


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Certification is expected on Hon-eywell’s company Falcon 900EXin October.

DeCrane Aerospace companyAudio International has a numberof new products as part of “astrategic move to capture more of the after-market demand.”These include a Blu-ray player

designed specifically for theaftermarket world, available forsale now, with deliveries to beginin the third quarter. The Little-Rock, Ark.-based company hasalso just sold its first Apple com-mand-and-control unit, whichwill be available in the thirdquarter as an aftermarket item.

Rosen Aviation has put its new32-inch HD backlit monitor on adiet. By relocating the electronics

(power supply and video boards)to other parts of the aircraft, theresult is an ultra-thin packagethat also weighs less and producesless heat. The Eugene, Ore.-basedcabin electronics specialist isalso introducing “a 1080p, slot-loaded Blu-ray player with multi-media interface capabilities.”The player is already in produc-tion and a dual-slot Blu-rayplayer with similar features is in development.

Rockwell Collins will beoffering its Venue HD cabinmanagement system as an after-market upgrade. It has alreadybeen certified for the King Air350i and Cessna Citation CJ4. Itoffers wide-screen and high-defi-nition displays, intuitive switchand touch-screen controllers, inaddition to an onboard data net-work that includes wired andWi-Fi options and integrationwith various broadband services.

Flight Display Systems ofAlpharetta, Ga., also has a newBlu-ray player. Features includeHDMI video output up to 1080p,component video up to 1080p, andcomposite NTSC video. Multiplevideo outputs allow customers toselect the best choice for theirinstallation, including standard-definition video for legacymonitors without HD support.The unit is priced at $5,254. o

26aaAviation International News • July 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Flight Display Systems’ new 32-inch HD,1080p low-profile motorized-lift monitorwas introduced only recently and hasalready found its way into this G550 cabin.

Bombardier To Acquire ExelTech Hangar

Bombardier plans to acquirethe Saint-Laurent hangar facili-ties of ExelTech Aerospace as a step toward increasing its Global 5000 and GlobalExpress XRS interior comple-tion capacity.

The acquisition will increaseBombardier’s Global comple-tion center capacity by 115,000sq ft and is scheduled to beopen by the fall.

According to Bombardier,the move was motivated bycontinued strong sales of thetwo Globals. n

It is a rare cabin these days that doesn’temerge with an iPod interface.

Report continues on page 28 u


uContinued from page 24

In the refurbishment seg-ment, “There’s a ton ofactivity,” he added. “But every-body’s looking for deals, andprice seems to be the mostimportant concern.”

Midcoast has an agreementwith Bombardier to handle the“high-end, hands-on, one-off ”green cabin completion workon the Canadian OEM’s highlycustomized variants of theGlobal Express XRS, Global

5000 and Challenger 605.Renaud said that particularbusiness dropped off a littlelast year, but Midcoast remainsbooked to December next year.

Among the more recentdeliveries were two GlobalExpress XRSs with “offset”variants of the shower Bom-bardier introduced in 2008 forthe Global 5000, for which certi-fication is expected next spring.According to completion man-agement specialists, the Globalshower comes with a price tagin the $1 million range.

What the East Cahokia, Ill.-based center is “activelypursuing” at this point, saidRenaud, is single-aisle bizlinerwork. Midcoast is already build-ing single-aisle and widebodycabinetry for parent company JetAviation in Basel, Switzerland,“and we expect to have our ownfirst [single-aisle] completionjob roll in sometime this year.”

Both Midcoast and parentcompany Jet Aviation are work-ing to get Airbus approval to dogreen completion work for the


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Project Phoenix, the Dubai-based busi-ness aircraft sales organization specializingin renovation and conversion of regionalairliners to an executive configuration, hasidentified the Boeing 737-800 as the idealnext candidate to enter the single-aisleairliner conversion market under its mark.

The new venture will be known as ThePhoenix LBJ (large business jet) and isthe result of a six-month technical evalua-tion of suitable airliners and dialogue withpotential customers. Project Phoenix hasissued a request for information to severalcompletion facilities in Europe, Australia/Asia and the U.S. to undertake the actualinterior build and installation to meetPhoenix’s standards.

Several designs are already being pre-pared and include a 30-seat version withprivate office and stateroom as well as ahigh-density corporate interior.

According to Project Phoenix chairmanJohn Lawson, the decision to go with a 737-800 is based on range and payload and thefact that “it will be many millions of dollarsless than the comparable new aircraft withno compromise in quality.”

A full data package is expected to beavailable late this year, once ProjectPhoenix chooses a completion facility. “Weanticipate an official launch at the 2010Meba [Middle East Business Aviation]show in Dubai, but we are ready now tostart preliminary discussions with inter-ested customers,” said v-p of businessdevelopment Mike Creed.

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Executive Aviation Group and Ruag areteaming to deliver an enhanced maintenance,repair and overhaul product to their cus-tomers, including cabin interior refurbishment.

In signing the “strategic alliance agree-ment” on May 3, the two companiescombined their core strengths, and cus-tomers will benefit in particular from a full range of aircraft management and after-market service.

“There is considerable synergy in mainte-nance expertise and operational skills betweenRuag and ExecuJet and we are delighted toforge a relationship with a like-minded andreputable aviation company,” said ExecuJetEurope managing Cedric Migeon.

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The “Smart Cabin” automated dimmingsystem (Scads) marks the latest stage inevolution of a product that now integratesthe “smart window” into the cabin environ-mental controls.

It began with the E-Shade smart windowfrom InspecTech, which allows the passengerto “dim” a window to 99.6-percent opaque

uContinued from page 23 Briefs




Associated Air Center created thislavatory sink in a pink faux-finish.



multinational OEM, in particular for its Air-bus A319 series of three business jets. Threehangars, each capable of holding three air-craft the size of a Boeing 757, wererecently finished at Midcoast.

In fact, through last year and into this,demand for single-aisle and widebodycompletion and refurbishment remainedstrong, if not robust. In late 2008, demandwas such that some completion specialists

had bizliners-to-be sitting on the rampwaiting for the next slot.

In 2008, the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre(ACJC) opened and by April this year haddelivered four single-aisle executive ACJs.“We didn’t feel the recession,” said BrunoGalzin, head of sales and marketing for thecenter in Toulouse, France. “In 2008 wedelivered one cabin; in 2009, we met ourgoal of three cabin deliveries, and in 2010,we intend to deliver four,” he said[although none so far this year, as of presstime]. “We already have two deliveriesscheduled for 2011 and one slot available.

“Our strategy today,” said Galzin, “is tofocus on the ACJ [single-aisle A318/319/320 series] aircraft and provide slotsfor Airbus customers. Depending on thecomplexity, three to four cabins a year is possible.”

ACJC has also upped the competitiveante, recently launching a cabin conversionkit that will allow reconfiguration of theforward section of an A320 cabin into anexecutive section. The first kit is scheduledfor delivery this summer and a second kitby year-end.

The center has also launched a newpackage of customized services called“VIP Pass,” in support of executive, private

and government operators of the ACJseries, the A330 and A340. The pass coverscabin upgrades and refurbishment, airframemaintenance, cabin and airframe spares andfull engine support.

Gore Design Completions claims not tohave had any slot cancellations in the lastyear, though one aircraft arrived at thefacility after a four-month delay.

Meanwhile, however, the San Antonio-based independent says it is currentlyworking on three A340s, a 777 and a 767.One A340 is already on site, another was

Jet Aviation in Basel, Switzerland designed and outfitted this Airbus ACJ in cooperation with Monaco-basedaviation broker Boutsen Aviation. The open space and curvilinear design create a sense of roominess andcomfort. Recessed oval overhead lighting contributes to the total ambiance.

Greenpoint Wins Aeroloft ContractsGreenpoint Technologies specializes in conversions of Boeing aircraft to executive use,

but with its Aeroloft and Aerolift it has taken airliner reconfiguration to a new level. TheKirkland, Wash.-based independent completion center has received a patent on the modifi-cation of what is normally empty overhead space above the main cabin between fuselagedoors three and five.

The option of turning this“Aeroloft” into a lounge or addi-tional berthing has proved popularamong customers, according toexecutive v-p Sloan Benson.

More remarkable is Greenpoint’spatent-pending design for its “Aero-lift,” an elevator that can transportpassengers between the ground andthe main deck of the aircraft. It con-sists of an automatic door in thefuselage, a power unit and lift struc-ture from the keel up through the main deck, a lift carriage with internal doors and a cabinenclosure. Greenpoint claims to have contracts already to outfit the Aeroloft.

According to manager of sales and marketing Christine Hadley, customer interest “is much higher in 2010 than in the first half of 2009, [and] we are receiving new BBJcompletion inquiries almost weekly.” n




The Aerolift from Greenpoint Technologies is designed to transport passengers between the 747-8 cabin main deck and the ground.


with the push of a button that induces pas-sage of a light electrical charge through agel sandwiched between two layers of clearglass or Plexiglas. The window can go fromclear to opaque or any setting between.

With Scads, cabin network architectureallows a cabin-wide execution of softwareprogram commands to the E-Shade windows,allowing automatic or on-demand comfort,safety or energy savings.

The automated and continuous modemaintains a specified fixed level of lightentering the cabin at any given altitude ordirection. With it, each E-Shade adjusts con-tinuously and automatically to the amount oflight striking it, in real time, so that thepassenger hardly notices the changes.

With the cabin temperature controlmode, the program continuously monitorscabin temperature and executes a dimmingcontrol command whenever necessary. If theaircraft is sitting idle on the ramp and the cabin reaches the specified temperature,all the E-shades automatically go to full dark.

When set for customer requirements, alogic circuit is incorporated to sense whenthe landing gear is down, shifting to theclear state. If a power loss occurs, allemergency-exit E-shades instantly defaultto clear state.

An in-flight movie feature dims all E-Shades to 15-percent light transmis-sion with a single button-push by the crew.

Whether the window appears transpar-ent or opaque, it blocks 99.9 percent of harmful ultraviolet light, minimizing heat buildup.

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Emteq is powering up the aircraft cabinwith a major expansion of its product line toinclude a plug presence detector, an inverterand a ground fault interrupter.

The plug-presence-detection feature isdesigned to provide power to an outlet onlywhen a plug is properly inserted in thereceptacle, preventing the possibility ofelectrical shock.

The inverters convert 28VDC aircraftpower to 115VAC 60-Hz output. Compactand weighing less than one pound each,they are designed as a one-to-one systemwith one inverter per outlet. This eliminatesproblems with sharing power among multi-ple outlets, providing maximum power toeach outlet. It has built-in ground faultinterrupter protection and PPD control thatreceives and reacts to the signal sent bythe PPD system in the outlet, triggering theflow of electrical current.

The inverter from the New Berlin, Wis.-based firm shuts off automatically if itsenses over-current, over-temperature orover-voltage. Overload protection shuts offpower to an outlet when power goes over200W. An LED indicator, driven by theinverter and located on the outside of theoutlet, signals when the inverter has acti-vated the safety shutoff.


due to arrive in May and another lastmonth. The 767 was due to roll in May andthe 777 in September. “We’re actuallydoing work on all of them, whether it’sdesign or pre-fit or actual installation,” saidCEO Jerry Gore. The company is also bid-ding on an executive version of Boeing’snew 747-8, but delivery to the center byBoeing is likely a couple of years away.

Kathy Gore, company president, saidthe recent 65,000-sq-ft expansion of the100,000-sq-ft hangar has also added about80,000 sq ft of surrounding shop and officespace. “We have a good plan to ramp uppeople and resources, and we expect to beup to about seven hundred employees bythe end of this year.”

Unlike some other large independentinterior finishing shops, Gore Design Com-pletions performs maintenance and overhaul“only as required,” focusing on completionand refurbishment and “being careful not totake on more than we can handle.”

Comlux, which had been a 40-percentshareholder in ACJC until late last year, hassince gone it alone and the company’s new$3.4 million Comlux USA completion centerin Indianapolis was in business well beforethe official opening on April 27. At themoment, the facility has an Airbus A320Prestige and a Challenger 850 in for greencompletion and, according to David Edinger,CEO of Comlux USA, “two additional[bizliners] will join them before the end of

the year.” Edinger said the complex can han-dle as many as six aircraft simultaneously.

Like Midcoast and other centers, ComluxUSA is also adding maintenance and over-haul to its capabilities. Earlier this year itwas appointed an authorized Bombardierservice center. Most recently, Comlux USAreceived an STC for Aircell’s Wi-Fi wirelessrouter for Bombardier’s 601, 604 and 605.

Lufthansa Technik’s Heerdt said, “Wehad a reasonably good 2009 in comparisonto the industry as a whole. We had a prettygood backlog and we were successful in

selling in 2009, in fact, almost as good asin 2008, and 2008 was an exceptionallygood year.” In May, the center delivered its10th Airbus A318 Elite since the interiorfinish program began in 2006.

Other single-aisle interior business thathas been growing during the recession isBombardier’s $32 million Challenger 850,described by some as a Global 5000 forthose of more modest means. Currentlyunder contract with Bombardier to providecabin finish of the 850s are Midcoast andCanadian independent completion andrefurbishment facility Flying Colours.

At this point, Flying Colours hasalready delivered two, and deliveries oftwo more are expected this month. “We’realso looking at possible contracts to dogreen completion work for some otherOEMs,” said director of sales and market-ing Sean Gillespie.

The other single-aisle airliners findingfavor as executive transports include theAvro RJ, Canadair CRJ200 and FairchildDornier 328Jet. Franco-Italian regionalturboprop airliner manufacturer ATR is evenbuilding reconfigured executive versions ofits ATR 42 and ATR 72. The Royal Thai AirForce last September took delivery of thefirst of four executive versions of the ATR72 it has on order.

Toward a Comfortable Office in the Sky

As far as what goes into the cabin today,whether it’s a refurbishment or a greencompletion, everyone wants to be con-nected. “Everything is linked to the latesttechnology,” said Comlux Group presidentRichard Gaona.

Most in demand is in-flight connectivity,whether it’s high-speed Internet or the simpler and less expensive e-mail-over-BlackBerry systems. Competition in thatarena has intensified over the last year fol-lowing the introduction by EMS Aviationof its Forté Airmail, which allows users tosend and receive text e-mails with a Black-Berry using the Iridium satellite provider.They were rapidly followed by Aircell,International Communications Group andTrueNorth Avionics.

Emteq Continues Certification of Challenger 850 InteriorsEmteq and Midcoast Aviation are continuing with a contract for certification of two more

Challenger 850 interiors. The aircraft are being completed at Midcoast’s East Cahokia facility.Avionics, maintenance and lighting specialist Emteq, through its Winnipeg-based ACS-

NAI business unit, has been involved in interior certification of Global 5000s, Global ExpressXRSs, Challenger 605s and Challenger 850s for about two years. ACS-NAI has been respon-sible for winning STC approvals from Transport Canada, the FAA and the European AviationSafety Agency (EASA) for various aircraft.

ACS-NAI, working with Midcoast, is responsible for the certification process, while thecompletion center is responsible for the actual interior build and installation.

Emteq has also expanded its presence in Europe with the formation of Emteq Europe inBachenbülach, Switzerland. “The new name reflects our corporate vision to be a globalcompany with vast resources [and] affirms our commitment to service the Europeanmarket,” said Emteq CEO Jerry Jendusa. Emteq’s initial move into the European marketbegan when it acquired Bachenbülach-based Flight Components in March 2007. The civiland military exterior lighting product line formerly produced by Flight Components, hasbeen rebranded FC Exterior Lighting to “leverage and honor the former company.” n

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Who says “the vanilla cabin” has to be plain? This Falcon 7X on display at the recent NBAA Regional Forum at Teterboro Airport shows what can be done with red accents, napkins, a vase of red roses and a bottle of Chateau Dassault.



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In the world of in-flight Inter-net connectivity, Aircell, EMSAviation, Honeywell, ICG/Cob-ham, Rockwell Collins, TrueNorthand Danish satcom maker Thrane& Thrane all offer SwiftBroad-band, which is faster and lesscostly than the Swift64 service.(See sidebar story on connectivityon page 24.)

Also the subject of fiercecompetition, cabin-management

systems are becoming easier toinstall, more reliable and moreuser-friendly. DeCrane’s AudioInternational, Emteq, Flight DisplaySystems, Honeywell, InternationalCommunications Group, LufthansaTechnik and Rockwell Collinsdisplayed their cabin-managementproducts prominently at Ebace inMay. Custom Control Concepts andRosen Aviation also have cabin-management systems available.

Even the ubiquitous moving-map display has been the subjectof fierce competition, with many ofthe same cabin electronics players.The resolution is higher, in somecases down to one meter per pixel,there are in-flight viewing optionsthrough the cockpit windshield or

www.ainonline.com • July 2010 • Aviation International Newsaa33

Kalogridis To Begin Manufacturing Carpet

Kalogridis International hasbegun manufacturing high-endstock design carpets for therefurbishment market.

The move, said presidentGeorge Kalogridis, allows cus-tomers with short lead time toexpand their carpet optionsbeyond the standard solid-color, cut/loop variants foundin the general carpet suppliermarket. The carpet selectionswill include such novelty yarns

as linen, cashmere and metallicfibers and even the installationof fiber optics.

Fiber optics are gaining inpopularity as a design elementand being woven into carpet,and Dallas-based Kalogridis isadding feature to its line ofDeconel panels for sidewallsand bulkheads.

As for the relatively newDeconel panels, he noted,Kalogridis is creating a line of carved-surface panels with a 3-D appearance. TwelveDeconel projects are currentlyunder way for aircraft rangingin size from a Boeing 767 to aDornier 328. n

Divans, such as this two-seater by Avfabin a Beechjet 400 refurbishment, arebecoming very popular.

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TrueNorth’s Simphone OpenCabin makesuse of apps to simplify upgrades.

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from a cabin side window, and there aretouch-screen controls. One widebody com-pletion center has been asked to build atouch-screen moving-map display into atable-top that will measure some three bysix feet and allow multiple users simultane-ously to play games, watch the flight pathor view movies.

Whether completion and refurbishmentis on the edge of an economic recoveryremains to be seen, and much depends on acontinued, steady recovery from the currentrecession. But there are definite signs thatbusiness is picking up.

According to a Gulfstream Aerospacespokesman, refurbishment work began topick up in the last quarter of last year and isnearly back to pre-crisis levels. Gulfstream,he said, attributes that to the inventory oflarge-cabin used aircraft that are now beingabsorbed back into the market.

Gore Design Completions, with 265,000sq ft of completion and refurbishmenthangar nearly full, has revisited plans toadd a second hangar. Jerry Gore mused, “If we sign a 747-8, we just might.”

DeCrane Aerospace is cautious aboutthe future. “We think we’ve positioned our-selves to be strong going into a recovery,”said McNary, “but we’re watching themarket closely and, like everyone else,we’re being cautious.”

While not voicing any particularopinion about a recovery, Renaud ofMidcoast Aviation did note that thecenter has introduced “an initiative toreduce cycle times, which will provide uswith additional capacity.

“This year is going to be ‘an OK year’for us, or at least stable,” Renaud added.“As for 2011, it has the potential to getback to a moderate growth mode.”

Comlux’s Gaona said, “The level ofbusiness in 2010 is acceptable [and] we’re starting to see more people buyingairplanes.”

Charles Celli, senior v-p and generalmanager of Basel completions for Jet Avia-tion, said the GD-owned completion andrefurbishment company had some workforcereductions last year, primarily among con-tract employees hired earlier in 2008 to copewith the pre-recession growth in demand.

He said Jet Aviation has worked throughmost of that backlog and is now activelystarting to fill slots. Celli believes there are

some “influential people with the financialwherewithal to pull the trigger on a refur-bishment or completion, but they’re waitingto see where the market goes.”

At StarPort Cambata Aviation Interna-tional, Eddie Hidalgo, executive director ofsales, has no illusions, despite havinginterior and paint departments “jammed”the first three or four months of the year.“I think people are starting to feel a littlebetter, but with the recent unemploymentfigures and the European fiscal crisisgrowing, it isn’t over yet.”

Nevertheless, Hidalgo was happy withthe last seven months, which brought full refurbishments of a Falcon 900 andHawker 800XP, and soft-goods refurbish-ment of a Gulfstream IV and a Citation II.The company is in talks with the OrlandoSanford International Airport about build-ing a larger exterior shop and addinganother story to the 5,000-sq-ft upholsteryand cabinetry shops.

So there are signs of a recovery, but noguarantee, and the crystal balls remain onthe table as industry pundits attempt tobring some clarity to a future that remainsas clear as pea soup.

Aviation market observer Brian Foleywas recently asked about what seems to be another stagnant period for the generalaviation industry, which had been showingsigns of steady progress toward recovery.

“Frankly, I see no cause for panic oreven pessimism, certainly not at thispoint,” Foley said. “Most recoveries aren’tlinear and the occasional pullback can be expected. A year ago, we postulatedthis recovery might have a W [as opposedto a V] shape and that’s what appears to be happening.”

On the other hand, there’s the problemof Europe. Even as the U.S. economyseems to be staggering out of the recession,the world’s second largest business aviationmarket–Europe–is in disarray and the mar-kets worldwide responded at the time withdouble-digit percentage drops.

Until recently, a strong European cus-tomer base was still purchasing used andnew aircraft as players looked at thestrength of the euro versus the dollar andsent their money west for cabin refurbish-ments and maintenance and overhaul. LastJune, according to online currency con-verter oanda, a dollar would have boughtyou E0.71565. Twelve months later, thatsame dollar will buy you E0.83540 as theEuropean Union struggles to find a solutionto fiscal problems in member states Greece,Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

At the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2010 inMay, the economies of the EuropeanUnion were a major subject of discussion,in particular among some of the U.S.exhibitors and visitors. They noted that inthe past year, the strong euro brought a lotof business to U.S. aviation shops andaccounted for many of the new aircraftsales. With the U.S. economy still unstableat best, having the market that accounts for nearly 30 percent of all business jetsales worldwide mired in a recession isenough to send a new shiver through theU.S. business aviation industry.

So where does all this leave the comple-tion and refurbishment industry, whetherit’s in the U.S. or Europe? Not so far fromwhere it was about 18 months ago. “We’reall cautiously optimistic,” said Jerry King.“And we’re also determined to make itthrough this and come out the other sidestronger and smarter.” o

The ground fault interrupter is anadditional safety feature recommendedby the FAA. The interrupter protectsagainst electrical shorts and potentialshock and electrocution of passengersfrom products plugged into the outlet. Itdetects an imbalance of current andautomatically shuts off output to the outlet when the imbalance reaches anunsafe level.

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Servizi Elicotteristici Italiani (SEI) ofItaly has not only designed and developeda new in-flight entertainment (IFE) system,but also received EASA certification of a cabin noise and vibration package–calledSilens–that will enhance the audio. FAAcertification is expected soon.

SEI’s In-Flight Entertainment EnhancedLounge (I-Feel) system is now available forinstallation “on most medium and heavyhelicopter models,” and EASA approval issaid to be imminent.

I-Feel’s Windows PC architecture can control communications, audio/videoplayback, cabin functions and passengersettings. It includes integration of inter-phone communication, built-in hard disk for storage of audio and video files and alarge number of audio and video systems,including moving maps, CD, MP3, iPod and DVD players, as well as a laptop andcamera interface.

I-Feel’s open architecture allows a vari-ety of other functions for integration ofdifferent mission equipment on the air-craft. According to director of completionsDavide Marucco, the system is also adapt-able for installation on special-missionaircraft, such as law enforcement, surveil-lance, EMS and search-and-rescue.

Silens was originally developed inItaly in collaboration with AgustaWest-land. Flight tests, according to theMonteprandone, Italy-based firm, havedemonstrated significant noise abatementunder all conditions, with “a remarkablereduction from 76 to 71 dB [SIL4] at acruise speed of 140 knots.”

The key to the system is a self-sup-ported separation barrier between thepassenger cabin shell and the fuselageskin. The shell itself is made of advancedcomposite materials and is mounted to thesurrounding structure at discrete points bymeans of vibration and noise insulators.The shell is supplemented by a customizedthermal/acoustic barrier.

According to Marucco, the system iscompatible with a full range of executivecabin layouts and can be retrofitted on all AW139s, with either hinged or sliding doors.

SEI is a Mecaer Aviation Group com-pany and has completed more than 280executive helicopter interiors on the A109and AW139. –K.J.H.


Aircraft design has come a long way since the days of pencils and rulers and rudimentary techniques. This design shop at Dassault exemplifies the use of computers and sophisticated software to “build” structure,systems and furnishings before metal is cut.

Multi-role cabins are becoming more common. Above, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft and Cello Aviation,along with Design Q, combined forces to create this BAE Systems/Design Q Explorer concept for the BAE 146regional jet, complete with an extendable viewing deck for soaking up the scenery.

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