AINaudiocast Archive

Marking its full return to aircraft production, Eclipse Aerospace delivered the first Eclipse 550 today at the 2013 NBAA Convention in Las Vegas. Just after the very light jet was handed over to its customer, AIN caught up with Eclipse CEO Mason Holland to find out what it took to restart aircraft production, the very light jet's new owner and the company's plans going forward.

Florida is the second-largest state for aviation and aerospace companies in the U.S., and at the 2013 Paris Air Show it is occupying the biggest space at the U.S. Pavilion in Hall 3. We caught up with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who's leading the state's delegation at the show, to find out more about the importance of these industries to Florida and what it plans to do this week at the Paris show.

Chad Trautvetter spoke with Trevor Esling of Gulfstream Aerospace, inside the Gulfstream G650, about the European Business Aviation Market at EBACE 2013

In an exclusive podcast, film star and pilot John Travolta told AIN how he's been helping Bombardier's flight test pilots to develop the new Challenger 350 jet. Plus how Hollywood high-fliers turn to him for advice on how to get into private aviation.

Charles Alcock spoke with Ed Bolen (NBAA) and Fabio Gamba (EBAA) about the current state of the industry.

Helicopter Association International president Matt Zuccaro spoke to AIN at Heli-Expo 2013 about the group's helicopter safety initiative.

One month ahead of the opening of the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow, Amanda Stainer, Farnborough International events and exhibitions director, spoke with Charles Alcock, AIN international editor, about how plans for the big event are shaping up and the mood of the aerospace industry.

Aerion is gearing up to conduct more supersonic laminar flow testing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center for its proposed supersonic business jet. In a few weeks, a test article will be flown on a NASA F-15 at speeds up to Mach 2.0 to evaluate supersonic boundary layer transition properties. At the recent EBACE show in Geneva, AIN sat down with Aerion chief technology officer Dr. Richard Tracy to learn more about this testing, as well as the technology behind Aerion's SSBJ.

AIN journalists bring listeners up to date on three major issues. Liz Moscrop looks into illegal charters, James Wynbrandt tackles the EU's impending emissions trading scheme, and Bill Carey researched the Single European Sky.

Business aviation entrepreneur Kenn Ricci has a unique perspective on the industry that to his diverse holdings that includes fractional provider Flight Options, maintenance firm Constant Aviation and aircraft remanufacturer Nextant Aerospace. To get his take on the state of the bizav industry, AIN sat down with him at the EBACE show, and he gave a fairly candid view.

  AINonline News Editor David Lombardo spoke with Ralph Acs, Learjet vice president and general manager, and discussed the launch of the new Learjet 70 and 75.

Scott Ernest, the president and CEO of Cessna Aircraft. spoke with AIN News Editor David A. Lombardo, about the launch of the new Citation Longitude in the face of a tough market. 

Fabio Gamba, Chief Executive of the European Business Aviation Association, spoke with AIN News Editor David A. Lombardo, about the state of the business aviation industry as we head into EBACE 2012. 

NetJets Europe is launching management services in Europe as a separate division from its fractional operations in the region. It will be similar to U.S. Executive Jet Management arm at NJE's sister company. AIN contributing editor Thierry Dubois sat down with NetJets Europe director of sales Marine Eugene at EBACE to learn more about the new program.

On Saturday, May 12, the Gulfstream G280 arrived at Geneva International Airport after a 7 hour 47 minute flight from Washington Dulles Airport. The super-midsize business jet, which appears on track to receive full FAA and EASA certification in mid-year, is making its European debut this week EBACE. AIN talked to Gulfstream mid-cabin chief pilot Brett Rundle about the flight and the new airplane.

Helicopter operators in China face the same regulatory and infrastructure impediments that their fixed-wing counterparts do. To learn more about how helicopters can be better accommodated in the Asian country, AIN sat down with Helicopter Association International president Matt Zuccaro at ABACE 2012.

While customers in Asia prefer new business jets, the market for used aircraft is starting to emerge in the region. However, when they do choose to buy pre-owned business jets they want younger aircraft that are less than five years old. To get a sense of how this part of the business aviation market is developing in Asia, AIN spoke with Jahid Fazal-Karim, board member and partner of business jet sales broker Jetcraft.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association is providing an industry perspective to authorities as countries on the Pacific Rim develop a common framework to facilitate business aviation operations under the auspices of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. At the ABACE show, AIN caught up with GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce to learn more about how the association is helping to influence a business aviation-friendly infrastructure and regulatory environment in Asia.

On the eve of the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Shanghai, China, Embraer held a ceremony to celebrate the recent handover of a Legacy 650 to company brand ambassador and actor Jackie Chan, announced the delivery of Minsheng Financial Leasing's first Legacy 650 and revealed its 10-year forecast for China. AIN sat down with Embraer Executive Jets president Ernest Edwards at ABACE to get more details.

Honeywell Aerospace vice president of air traffic management and biofuels Brian Davis outlines the company's current efforts to develop green aerospace technologies, from the electric green taxiing system to biofuel research.

TC Chan is heading up Rockwell Collins's efforts in the Asia Pacific region, which include China, India and the South Pacific. Airline, military and business aviation all offer growing opportunities for the U.S-headquartered avionics manufacturer. And Chan explained how Rockwell Collins views these opportunities in this interview at the Singapore Airshow.

AIN contributing editor Liz Moscrop asked Francois Chazelle, Airbus vice president of commercial jets, to describe the special features in the Al Jaber Aviation ACJ318 parked on the Singapore Airshow static ramp.

  Dallas Airmotive opened its Singapore Regional Turbine Center (RTC) at Seletar Airport on Monday and expects business to come from some 650 jets in Asia including a mix of pre-owned jets and an ever-increasing new general aviation planes being purchased by China and emerging economies. AIN contributing editor Neelam Mathews interviewed Hugh McElroy, president of BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul, and Rishiraj Singh, director and business leader of business and general aviation for Aerospace Asia & China Honeywell Company to learn how BBA's new Dallas Airmotive regional turbine center at the Seletar Aerospace Park will help Asian jet operators receive local MRO services. 

Aeria Luxury Interiors has been launched as an affiliate of ST Aerospace San Antonio. Ron Soret, general manager of completions, outlines his plans for the new company in an interview with AIN contributing editor Thierry Dubois.

AIN senior editor Matt Thurber caught up with Jean Michel Jacob, Dassault Falcon vice president of international sales, to learn about the company's prospects in Asia and the Falcon jets parked on the Singapore Airshow static display.

Kaman Aerospace is more diversified organization than many realize, offering what it calls a "total OEM solution." Over the past year, it has acquired several different companies, the majority of which are composites specialists. To learn more about the company and its current projects, including the K-Max unmanned aerial truck, AIN caught up with Kaman Helicopters president Sal Bordonaro at Heli-Expo.

NTSB Member Mark Rosekind opened the first HAI 2012 education seminar with a discussion about how rotorcraft pilots can fight fatigue. We spoke to him after his talk.

Simplex Aerospace is highlighting its third-generation powerwash system for helicopters at this year's Heli-Expo. The system, which holds 180 gallons of water and can be used to wash windmills and power lines, just received STC approval for the Eurocopter AS350B3. AIN sat down with Simplex vice president of sales and marketing Larry Lichtenberger at the helicopter show to find out more about the company's new product.

After making its debut at Heli-Expo last year, Swiss startup helicopter manufacturer Marenco is back with its SKYe SH09 light single mockup at this year's show. The company has made several improvements to the design since then, so we stopped by its booth on the eve of Heli-Expo to get an update on the budding project from Marenco commercial director Mathias Sénès.

Some 40 helicopters winged their way into the Dallas Convention Center parking in the days just before Heli-Expo 2012 starts. Keeping them safely separated as they arrive before–and depart after–the show ends is coordinated months ahead of time by Helicopter Association International staff. To learn more about this, AIN talked with HAI director of flight ops Harold Summers and v-p of regulations Dave York.

On Monday December 5, Embraer delivered the first U.S.-assembled Phenom 100 light jet from its new Phenom final assembly facility at the Melbourne (Fla.) International Airport to Kansas City, Mo.-based Executive AirShare. This milestone airplane marked the 18th Phenom jet to enter the fractional provider's fleet. At the delivery ceremony, AIN spoke with Executive AirShare president and COO Keith Plumb about his company's latest addition to the fleet, as well as how its Phenoms are fairing overall.

On Monday, December 5, Embraer Executive Jets officially opened its new 58,000-sq-ft Global Customer Center at the Melbourne (Fla.) International Airport. Customers from around the world will now come here to select colors, fabrics, paint schemes and options for all of Embraer's Phenom, Legacy and Lineage business jet models. The facility also is the delivery center for all U.S.-assembled Phenom 100s and, starting in the second half of next year, U.S.-assembled Phenom 300s. During the center's grand opening, AIN caught up with Embraer Executive Jets vice president of North American sales Robert Knebel to talk about the new facility that he will now call home.

Gulfstream Aerospace is on final approach for certification of its wide-cabin G650. At the 2011 Dubai Air Show, AIN contributing editor James Wynbrandt caught up with Gulfstream president Larry Flynn to get the latest update on the ultra-long-range jet program, as well as the aircraft's manufacturer's view of the business jet market in the Middle East.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association is viewed by many as mainly a U.S.-centric organization, but in reality it is global. In fact, GAMA held its first board meeting outside of the U.S. last Friday in Bordeaux, France. It also has a permanent representative in Brussels and is considering adding another in Beijing, GAMA immediate past chairman–and current Dassault Falcon Jet president and CEO–John Rosanvallon told AIN at the Dubai Air Show.

Fighting hunger isn't synonymous with the word "airshow," but the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) is aiming to change that. At an exhibit booth at the 2011 Dubai Air Show, the WFP is promoting its humanitarian aid programs, as well as how aircraft helps it achieve these missions. The WFP's aviation unit is also in charge of aviation safety for all U.N. humanitarian programs. AIN sat down with Samir Sajet, the UAE regional aviation safety officer for the WFP, to learn more. (Click here to donate to help the WFP deliver food and other humanitarian aid to countries in need.)

Days before the 2011 Dubai Air Show opens, the Middle East Business Aviation Association held a high-level roundtable in Dubai to talk about business aviation operational challenges in the Middle East. At the event, AIN caught up with MEBAA founding chairman Ali Al Naqbi, who highlighted the need for more business aviation infrastructure in the region.

Bucking the general trend in the business jet market, Embraer's light jets–the Phenom 100 and 300–continue to do well, so much so that they helped increase the company's market share from less than 4 percent in 2008 to almost 20 percent today. And with its upcoming midsize Legacy 450 and 500, it expects to continue grabbing even more market share. To get a look at the present and future bizjet market as it relates to Embraer, AIN spoke with company vice president for executive jet market and product strategy Claudio Camelier at NBAA 2011.

Embraer has two in-development midsize jets–the Legacy 450 and 500–that will be in service by the end of 2013. Embraer is also starting to bring its Melbourne, Florida Phenom 100 assembly plant online, with the first light jet made at the facility expected to be delivered by year-end. At NBAA, AIN sat down with Embraer Executive Jets president Ernie Edwards to get an update about these programs.

Convergent Performance CEO Dr. Tony Kern has spent much of his life seeking to improve human factors in aviation. So when the NTSB put "unprofessionalism" of flight crews on its "Most Wanted" list, Kern pledged to work to remove this from the list. And so he started the Aviation Professionals pledge and has set a goal of 10,000 signatories by next year. AIN caught up with Kern at NBAA to get more details.

Tomorrow is press day at the NBAA Convention, which opens on Monday in Las Vegas, and there are a staggering 22 press conferences scheduled bewteen 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. To get a sense of what might be announced by business aviation OEMs, avionics suppliers, maintenance and modification firms and other companies, AIN news editor Chad Trautvetter sat down with Matt Thurber, editor of AIN's NBAA Convention News. In addition, AIN contributing editor Rob Mark, who also runs the popular Jetwhine.com aviation blog, gives some insight into how social media will impact NBAA 2011.

On the opening day at the Paris Air Show, HyperMach took the wraps off a 20-seat, Mach 3.6 business jet that would fly from Paris to New York in just under two hours. Key enabling technologies for the SonicStar include the SonicBlue S-MAGJET five-stage electric-turbine hybrid supersonic 4000-X series engine and a magnetic spike on the nose that can control sonic booms using plasma waves. AIN news editor Chad Trautvetter sat down with company chairman and CEO Richard Lugg in Paris to get further information about the futuristic aircraft. He begins by giving more details about the unique MagSpike. Click here to listen. 

News broke today at EBACE about the ExcelAire pilots being found guilty by a Brazilian court for causing the fatal September 2006 midair over the Amazon jungle. The collision of the ExcelAire Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 resulted in the deaths of all on 154 aboard the airliner, though the U.S. pilots were able to land their damaged business jet. What worries safety experts about this conviction is the criminalization of accidents. At EBACE, AIN spoke with NBAA senior vice president of operations Steve Brown about this topic.

EBACE 2011 won't open until Tuesday, but that isn't stopping industry observers from predicting that the show will mark a turning point in the business aviation industry. One such analyst is Jahid Fazil-Karim, a partner at global aircraft broker at Jetcraft who believes optimism will be the prevailing force at this year's EBACE. AIN correspodent James Wybrandt sat down with Fazil-Karim to get his take on the upcoming show, as well as his opinion on the state of global demand for pre-owned business aircraft.

Zenith Jet created a stir in the industry last year when it debuted its first "bottom up" business aviation forecast. And it didn't pull any punches in its second annual bizjet forecast, a detailed 40-page report released last Wednesday that predicts 11,103 business jets worth $240 billion will be delivered over the next 10 years, with a peak in 2016 and trough in 2018. At EBACE, AIN caught up with forecast author George Tsopeis to get more insight into the forecast and its methodology.

AIN caught up with John and Martha King of King Schools at the recent Sun 'n' Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, to talk about their opposition to changes to the Blocked Aircraft Registration Request program. The husband and wife pilot duo has celebrity status in the aviation community due to their popular video pilot-training courses. This also makes them prone to harassment, thus the reason that they've opted to blocked their aircraft tail number through the BARR program.

AIN senior editor Kirby Harrison spoke with Piaggio America president and CEO John Bingham about the business aircraft market, as well as the company's future plans for the Avanti II turboprop twin and the P1XX jet program.

At the opening of Embraer's first assembly plant in the U.S. on March 21, AIN spoke with company chief executive Fred Curado about the new Melbourne, Fla. facility. The head of the Brazlian aircraft manufacturer also shared his thoughts on how Embraer is faring in the business aviation market, as well as potential plans to further expand its product line in this space.

AIN met up with Eclipse Aerospace executive vice president Mike Press last week at the Sun n Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, to get an update on the Eclipse 500 program. Press reported that things are going well at the Albuquerque-based company since its rebirth after bankruptcy two years ago. In this interview, Press talks about Eclipse 500 fatigue testing, how the friction-stir welds are holding up and plans for restarting production of the very light jet.  

Today, on the second day of the Middle East Business Aviation show in Dubai, TAG Aviation's Asia affiliate and China First Mandarin Group of Shenyang, China, announced an alliance to provide private aircraft services in the expanding China market. Here at MEBA, AIN senior editor Matt Thurber sat down with TAG Aviation CEO Robert Wells to get the details of this new joint venture.

For our final podcast from the 2010 NBAA Convention in Atlanta, AIN talked to Kestrel Aircraft chairman and CEO Alan Klapmeier at the show static display area, where he gave an update on his company's all-composite turboprop single project.