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Robert Walters, business development director at London Biggin Hill Airport, says that if the UK government does not recognise the importance of business aviation the country will not be able to keep up with demand.   London Biggin Hill Airport Last week, as the British Chancellor announced the new Budget, the UK’s Business and General Aviation industry leaders met to discuss the market at a time of pronounced political uncertainties, particularly in Europe and North America. But despite ongoing political shifts, it must be business as usual for the rest of us. As with any industry, there are those tenets which are constant. For the property market it is the timeless principle of Location, Location, Location. For airports, there are a couple of adjustments: Location, Flexibility, Capacity. The latter of those is in crisis. The business jet industry is a lucrative and constantly evolving market, with the next decade likely to see around 8,000 deliveries of business jets, worth nearly $250 billion. The emergence of dedicated business aviation airports is a growing trend in response to a massive surge in demand for more and more city-dyad links in an era of intensifying global business transactions. Within the next 10 years, emerging economies will dominate the market, both as producers and the customers of rapidly evolving new technologies. Indeed, this is strengthening the case for dedicated business aviation airports, and in the UK, just three dedicated airports (Farnborough, Biggin Hill and Oxford) now account for more than a fifth of the entire UK market. This reflects the strong demand for specialist FBOs away from the bustle of scheduled airliners. As anyone working in aviation is acutely aware, the government is having to address the fact that by 2030, Heathrow, Gatwick, London

The new P&WC  PW800 family will provide double-digit gains in fuel efficiency. P&WC (Pratt & Whitney Canada)  has received U.S. certification for its new PW814GA and 815GA turbofans that will power the Gulfstream G500 and G600, respectively. The FAA validation, granted on February 24, comes as Gulfstream prepares for initial deliveries of the G500 later this year and of the G600 in late 2018. Gulfstream is the launch customer for P&WC engines’s new 16,000-pound-thrust PurePower PW800 turbofan that shares a common core with the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine. P&WC began core testing on the engine in 2009 and first flew it in 2013. The engine maker secured Transport Canada certification for the PW814GA/815GA in early 2015, just a few months after the unveiling of the 5,000-nm G500 and 6,200-nm G600. Along with the engines, P&WC is supplying an integrated powerplant system for the aircraft that includes nacelles and thrust reverser systems. The new engine incorporates a full authority digital engine control (Fadec) system with advanced diagnostics and lightweight materials such as titanium and composites that are designed to improve performance and dispatch availability. P&WC estimates that the engines provide double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency. In addition, the engines incorporate P&WC’s Talon X combustor, which provides a double-digit margin in meeting international NOx emissions targets.   Source: Ainonline

Piper Aircraft’s flagship model, the M600, will make its European debut from 5-8 April at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany.   The event – the largest dedicated business and general aviation showcase outside the USA – will also mark the start of a regional demonstration tour for the single-engined turboprop, for which Piper hopes to secure European validation by the end of the third quarter. Piper M600 Piper Aircraft We have several M600 orders from European customers,” says Piper chief executive Simon Caldecott. “And we have a number of sales in process, that are pending EASA certification.” The M600 entered US service in June 2016 following a 15-month certification campaign. The $2.9 million aircraft is a development of Piper’s M500 entry-level turboprop, featuring a redesigned wing, digital fuel management technology and a restyled interior. The1,480nm (2,670km)-rangeM600 is designed, Piper says, to “address a segment of the market currently unserved in general aviation and at a price point significantly below that of our competitors”. These include the $4.9 million Pilatus PC-12NG and the $4.1 million Daher TBM 930. Flight Fleets Analyzer records 22 deliveries of the type to date – all to US-based owners. Source: FLIGHTGLOBAL

Pilatus Aircraft’s PC-24 business jet has entered the final stages of its certification programme, following the maiden sortie of its third and final test aircraft – the first in a production-standard configuration – on 6 March. P03 – registration HB-VSA – took off from Stans at 09:45 local time for a 2h 5min flight across Switzerland. Pilatus describes the debut flight as “another important milestone” in the PC-24’s development. It comes 22 months after the arrival of the first prototype kick-started the validation programme. Aircraft P02 joined the campaign in November 2015, and the pair have since logged more than 1,350 flying hours, the airframer says. PC-24 Pilatus chairman Oscar Schwenk calls the results of the flight-test campaign “very encouraging” and says the data collected so far indicates that the jet – the company's first – “exceeds published performance figures”. These include a maximum cruise speed of 425kt (790km/h), a maximum range with six passengers of 1,800nm (3,330km), and a maximum take-off weight of 8,050kg (17,650lb). The PC-24 is branded a “super-versatile jet” by Pilatus, based on its large cargo door and its ability to take off and land on very short runways and unpaved strips. The aircraft is scheduled for certification and service entry in the fourth quarter. US fractional ownership company PlaneSense is launch customer for the Williams International FJ44-4A-powered twin, with an order for six aircraft. The company is a long-standing Pilatus customer and the largest commercial operator of its PC-12NG single-engined turboprop with a fleet of 35. Pilatus has secured 84 orders for the PC-24 – equivalent to three years of production – and is planning to reopen the orderbook following certification. P03 will make its public debut in

The Bird Aerosystems Aeroshield missile-defense pod for civil aircraft incorporates sensors and can dispense flares. Photo: Bird Aerosystems. This simulation shows a laser fired from under the aircraft intercepting an incoming missile. (Image source: YouTube) Israel-based Bird Aerosystems has announced the availability of its latest anti-missile defense pod for Private Jet, designed for airliners and bizliners, the latter including the Airbus ACJ320 and Boeing BBJ. To help counter what it said is a growing threat of man-portable air defense systems (manpads), the company’s Aeroshield pod incorporates five sensors that detect when an air-to-air or surface-to-air missile has been launched. It also has one sensor that can detect when a missile is approaching, as well as two-to-four flare dispensers (to divert heat-seeking missiles) and an inertial measurement unit. Bird Aerospace claims that its Aeroshield is the only Private Jet Anti-missile Protection Pod available that both supports flare protection and complies with EASA and FAA civil aviation regulations. The company said several of the Private Jet Anti-missile Protection Pods are already in service with unidentified customers. The company also noted that the small-footprint Private Jet Anti-missile Protection Pod is easily installed, can be readily transferred from aircraft to aircraft and provides effective protection “with minimal interference to the aircraft.” Besides airborne missile protection systems, Bird Aerosystems also specializes in airborne surveillance, information and observation equipment.  Israel has successfully completed a series of tests of an anti-missile defense system for passenger jets, the system’s manufacturer and Israel’s Defense Ministry announced.Elbit System’s C-Music system – whose Hebrew name translates to “Sky Shield” – is designed to protect commercial airliners against shoulder-fired missiles. Israel’s Army Radio reported that several Israeli passenger planes have already been outfitted with the

The New Bombardier Global 7000 Logs 100 Hours; FTV2 To Fly Soon The first Bombardier Global 7000 flight test vehicle, FTV1, has now amassed more than 100 hours of flying. FTV2 will soon join the flight-test fleet as the program moves toward certification and entry into service in the second half of 2018. (Photo: Bombardier Aerospace)  Bombardier Aerospace’s Global 7000 program is “progressing” solidly, with the sole flight-test vehicle, FTV1, having completed more than 100 hours of flight testing to date, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer announced today. FTV2 is also now complete and has been moved to its dedicated pre-flight bay ahead of its first flight, which is expected “shortly.” for the Global 7000. Global 7000FTV1 “is showing a high level of maturity, demonstrating that we have captured the lessons learned from the C Series [airliner] program,” Alain Bellemare, president and CEO of parent company Bombardier, said this morning during a financial earnings conference call. Both the C Series and the Global 7000, as well as its Global 8000 sibling, employ fly-by-wire control systems. Meanwhile, Bellemare said that the production wing for the Global 7000 is now in final design and expected to be flying on a production-conforming airplane later this year. Bombardier cited issues related to the Global 7000 wing as a factor in its decision for a two-year program delay, and in late December, wing supplier Triumph filed suit against Bombardier over wing development costs. The Global 7000 remains on track for entry into service in the second half of next year, Bellemare noted. A company spokeswoman told AIN that the follow-on Global 8000 “continues to be part of our development program,” adding that its schedule will be released “later on” in the Global

Private Jet Security Experts Offer Three Considerations for International Ground Transportation Ensuring the safety of passengers and crew doesn’t end when an aircraft reaches its destination. All parties must then be delivered securely to their final stop – a task that can be more challenging when traveling outside of the United States for Private Jets. Matt Burdette, chief of intelligence with UnitedHealthcare Global Risk, identified the main factors to consider when selecting ground transportation for Private Jets options: Private Jets Consideration 1: Location Matters for Private Jets Operators should assess if there are threat-pattern trends at their destination. Security that’s appropriate in certain international destinations may vary drastically from the requirements in more volatile locations. “A trip in London is one thing, as opposed to Mexico City, in determining what transportation you choose,” said Burdette. In locations with prominent levels of risk for Private Jets, Burdette recommended scaling the security capability to deal with potential threats. “You may consider using a driver with security operations training including escape and evasion, offensive and defensive driving and knowing how to handle a vehicle under extreme situations,” he said.   Consideration 2: Arrange Transportation with a Trusted Provider of Private Jets Burdette said there is one central question operators need to ask when procuring transportation: is it a known, trusted provider? “Is it a provider whom you’ve retained access through a trustworthy source for Private Jets or vetted yourself?” he said. “You’re looking for somebody who provides that level of service that you’re after, which more than anything else is safety and security, and secondly is timeliness and reliability.” Sarah Wolf, NBAA’s senior manager for security and facilitation, recommended procuring the same level of security for both crew

Iraq Air Charter Now Iraqi Government forces are steadily pushing back against Daesh insurgents with the extremists now holding around 15% of the country, roughly one-third of the territory they did two years ago. Behind the military headlines, reports Alan Dron, young air operators, such as Iraq Gate, are seeking to maintain vital transport using Iraq Air Charter services in the country. With large swathes of the country still in the grip of civil war, it may not seem the ideal time to think about setting up a scheduled airline service in Iraq. However, Iraq Gate believes that the country’s business fundamentals could be sufficiently sound to make the venture worthwhile of Iraq Air Charter. Iraq Gate was set up in 2013 as the first executive charter company in the troubled nation. Created by executive aircraft operator Arab Wings Iraq Air Charter, from neighbouring Jordan, as a joint venture, it operates under an Iraqi air operator’s certificate (AOC) and now has six aircraft on the Iraqi register – three Bombardier CRJ200s, two Hawker 800XP mid-size executive jets and a Beechcraft King Air 200 turboprop. Arab Wings Iraq Air Charter has seconded some staff to Iraq Gate to get the young operation off the ground and has appointed others within the country. But why did Arab Wings Iraq Air Charter, a well-established business jet operator, aircraft management and handling company, decide at the height of unrest in the country that it was a good time to set up shop in Baghdad? Iraq Air Charter “Although the [security] situation is not as we would like it to be, there is a demand for charter and business aircraft operations there,” explained Sameer Hdairis, Arab Wings Iraq Air Charter’ business development manager of