Mixed fortunes #2: bizjets take a punch

This year's theme for the Flight front cover competition is "The essence of this great industry". The essence this year is, I think, that fortunes are mixed, with growth in some areas and slowdown in others. I selected four images to reflect or symbolize developments in four areas: passenger airlines, business aviation, cargo carriers and the helicopter industry. Business aviation has a hard time And not only because of the economic slowdown. The industry came under scrutiny of the public in the US after captains of industry asked for millions of government aid for their companies while their multimillion business jets that brought them to Washington were shown on tv, sitting idle at the airport. To counter the public outcry the industry started the "no plane, no gain" campaign to convince the public of the virtues of business aviation. This second image in the "Mixed fortunes" series shows US-registered Dassault Falcon 900EX c/n 18 N166FB on the business aircraft apron of Schiphol Amsterdam airport in The Netherlands (EHAM) on 25 March 2011. What looks like a a bandage around the chin, as if it has taken a punch, is a symbol of the difficult times for the business aviation community. But it is, of course, just the reflection of the wings on the fuselage.

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