The Kodiaks are coming. At a ceremony at ABACE 2013 on Tuesday, Beijing General Aviation Industry Base Investment Holding Co. (BGA) signed a contract for delivery of two Quest Kodiaks with options for four additional aircraft from Blue Eagle Aviation Investment Co. of Beijing, exclusive distributor in Greater China for the single-engine turbine powered utility aircraft. Made by Quest Aircraft of Sandpoint, Idaho, these would be the first Kodiaks delivered in China.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.
April 17, 2013 - 7:54am
Lufthansa Technik inked a deal today at ABACE to outfit the interior for Yunnan Jingcheng Group’s new, yet-to-be-delivered Boeing BBJ. Work to finish the green bizliner will start in November at Lufthansa Technik’s BizJet International facility in Tulsa, Okla. The fully completed VIP BBJ is scheduled to be handed over to Jingcheng in July 2014, according to the Hamburg, Germany-based aircraft maintenance and completions firm.
April 16, 2013 - 7:54am
Nextant Aerospace announced its first special-mission configuration for its 400XT–an air ambulance interior conversion from Spectrum Aeromed–yesterday at ABACE. The $100,000 self-contained equipment package will enable operators to convert the jet’s interior from a VIP configuration to a critical-care environment, including advanced cardiac life support, in less than 30 minutes. Nextant also plans to develop more special-mission applications for the 400XT.
April 15, 2013 - 9:15pm
When Boeing introduced its iconic Boeing Business Jet, the company emphasized the aircraft’s 6,000-mile range. The airplanes, derivatives of the Boeing 737 airliner, were sold “green,” meaning without a finished interior or final exterior paint scheme. From the production line, they went to a cabin completion center, where Boeing estimated that buyers would spend around $5- to $7 million for customized cabins.
April 15, 2013 - 2:10pm
One of the highlights of last week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, was French start-up company Expliseat’s unveiling of a new economy-class seat that significantly cuts weight and engineering complexity. The new seat, called Titanium, tips the scales at 8.8 pounds per passenger, which the Paris-based firm claims is around half the weight of traditional airliner seats. This may translate into an estimated 3- to 5-percent fuel saving, or $300,000 to $500,000 per aircraft per year.
April 15, 2013 - 6:19am
Lufthansa Technik said today at ABACE that it is the market leader of narrowbody and widebody VIP completions for Asian customers, having outfitted 16 of 21 bizliners based in the region. “Asia has one of the highest growth rates for the VIP aircraft market,” according to Lufthansa Technik senior vice president of marketing and sales Walter Heerdt. In China alone, the Hamburg, Germany-based company has completed a dozen bizliners, with five outfitted narrowbodies delivered last year. Heerdt said Lufthansa Technik will hand over four more completed bizliners this year in China.
April 15, 2013 - 5:00am
Lufthansa Technik (Booth H108) proved here yesterday that it is the market leader of narrowbody and widebody VIP completions for Asian customers, having outfitted 16 of 21 bizliners based in the region. “Asia has one of the highest growth rates for the VIP aircraft market,” according to Lufthansa Technik senior vice president of marketing and sales Walter Heerdt.
April 11, 2013 - 3:10pm
With an estimated total of as many as 8,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors spread over nearly two million square feet in the giant Messe Center in Hamburg, Germany, Aircraft Interiors Expo organizers are expecting continued growth. Before the three-day show closed its doors today, more than 80 percent of the available space for 2014 had already been sold.
April 10, 2013 - 7:40am
Alto Aviation, a supplier of business jet cabin audio systems, is urging completion and refurbishment centers to rethink speaker grille construction.
“It is one of the most common problems we encounter,” according to the Leominster, Mass.-based company. “Sound waves are made up of the compression and expansion of air [and] if air can’t move through the speaker grille, then the sound can’t get into the cabin.”
Alto recommends speaker coverings that are at least 50-percent open to ensure the best audio performance.
April 8, 2013 - 2:15pm
Quest Aircraft is displaying one of its Kodiak turboprop singles with its newly certified Timberline interior this week at the Sun ’n Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, Fla. The new interior features Kydex panels with composites, which will contribute to a weight reduction and thus improve the aircraft’s useful load.
