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October 22, 2009

Industry poised for takeoff

By Kirby J. Harrison

Mid-show through this year’s NBAA Convention, the general mood, at least among exhibitors, was one of both cautious optimism and lowered expectations.

Total registered attendance at the close of the convention yesterday was 22,516, according to the NBAA. Yesterday, the show closed with 21,807 registered. The attendance at last year’s convention after all three days was 30,811, so it more

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Aviation apps find a calling on the iPhone

By Stephen Pope

Sure, you can use an Apple iPhone to make calls, but as devotees of the ubiquitous device know, there’s so much more to Steve Jobs’ wonder product than the phone itself.

A big part of the appeal of the iPhone, of course, is Apple’s App Store, where users can browse a mindnumbing array of applications (more than 75,000 at last count) created specifically for the device.

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P&WC focused on strength

By Matt Thurber

John Saabas, president of engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), is focused on strengthening the company so that, he said, “we come out of this downturn stronger than we were coming in. We want to keep investing in the core of the business and reduce costs in areas we can and keep investing in new products.” During the past year, total revenues have dropped about 25 percent more

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Integrated FBO chain ready to grow again

By Matt Thurber

Atlantic Aviation came to this year’s NBAA show with an expanded exhibit and confidence in the future of the company’s 72 U.S. FBOs at 67 locations (some airports have multiple facilities).

“We’re putting the final touches on the total integration of all the FBOs we bought in the last 36 months,” said Atlantic CEO Lou Pepper. All Atlantic facilities, except some Aero Services more

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Lou Martin Pleated Window Shades Get ‘Smart’

Lou Martin & Associates, a San Antonio-based supplier of cabin shell packages and window shading systems (Booth No. 4989), is now offering a “next-generation E3 Shade” that integrates the pleated variant with the dimmable window technology of InspecTech Aero Service.

By incorporating the manually or electrically pleated window shade with the I-Shade, interior designers can avoid more

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‘Smart’ I-shade window gets even smarter

InspecTech Aero Service (Booth No. 3706) has unveiled the new Smart Cabin Automated Dimming System (SCADS) for its I-Shade.

The basic technology is relatively simple. The I-Shade window consists of two layers of clear polycarbonate, between which particles are suspended in a special conducting emulsion. When an electrical current is passed through the emulsion, the particles line up, al more

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NBAA, GAMA tool gives an E-Valuation

By Chad Trautvetter

NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) launched the Business Aviation E-Valuation Toolkit on Tuesday at the NBAA Convention. The toolkit is a new online resource that helps users calculate and explain the value of business aircraft in relation to a company’s business objectives. “With this toolkit, we’ve put the information for articulating the value of a business air more

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$14M MRO complex ready for Hawker Beech IND

By James Wynbrant

VJS Lincoln announced the recent completion of a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for Hawker Beechcraft at Indianapolis International Airport. The $14 million facility encompasses more than 75,000 sq ft of interior space, including a 40,000-sq-ft hangar.

VJS Lincoln (Booth, No. 3720), a specialist in hangar construction, does not manufacture hangars, hangar doors or hang more

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Briefly Noted. . .

Pilatus Aircraft’s Pro Star Pilatus Center has contracted to sell the PC-12NG factory demonstrator on display here at the convention to Polymer Resources, Stamford, Conn. Polymer president Les Klein was on hand to accept the keys. . .Pratt & Whitney Canada has marked a major milestone delivering its 70,000th engine. The PT6A-60A turboprop is to be installed on a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350. . more

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Satcom’s tracking service links to flight planning

By Mark Huber

Satcom Direct (Booth No. 3208) announced a new product and upgrades of existing ones at the NBAA show on Monday.

The company’s SD Flight Tracker is a Web-based service designed to deliver precise aircraft global positioning via Inmarsat, Iridium, VHF and broadband networks. It also provides real-time satellite system status and expands the capabilities of Satcom’s FlightDeck Freedo more

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