Murdo Morrison: May 2011 Archives

Our colleague David Learmount was doing the rounds of the TV studios in the UK at the weekend, assuring worried viewers that this year's Icelandic volcanic eruption would not be as bad as 2010, which shut most of European airspace and caused chaos.

Although some UK airports were shut yesterday and a couple of German ones are today, he seems to have been proved right, along with a number of other experts who - as David admits - know more about vulcanology than he does.

David's other point though - that this year the industry (airlines, airports, manufacturers, regulators and government) are much more prepared across Europe - is a very valid one. However, Ryanair's petulance yesterday shows that there is still considerable disagreement over the way ash clouds should be approached.

Follow the story as it develops on flightglobal.com and read our coverage in Flight International's 31 May issue.

We've been north of the 49th parallel (well, not really as we were in eastern Canada) for the special feature in our 24 May issue on the country's aerospace industry.

Canadian aerospace has long benefited from its proximity to the world's largest defence market, making up for Ottawa's own modest military budget. Yet the country is very much a force in its own right, with Bombardier and CAE leading companies in regional and business aircraft as well as simulation and training.

Canada's entrepreneurial culture has also spawned dozens of highly successful smaller enterprises. Montreal - which features prominently in our package - can stake a claim to being the aerospace capital of the world: the only city in which, in theory, all disciplines exist to build, power and equip and entire aircraft.

Our package profiles Bombardier, CAE, Diamond Aircraft, Mechtronix, CMC and Flying Colours as well as the aerospace clusters in Quebec and Ontario.

Which have been the most influential business aircraft ever? Our 24 May issue has a special supplement - the Ultimate Jet Set - where we name the 10 types that shaped the sector over the past five decades. There are some surprising inclusions, and we've left out some big-sellers. But our final list comprises the aircraft we think made the most impact on an industry that has grown from US-dominated corporate travel club into a global force. There are also eight of the best aircraft that did not make the final cut, plus the ones that got away: programmes that promised much but ultimately failed to deliver.

Despite a concerted marketing push by the Americans, which involved giving local celebrities and opinion-formers the ride of a lifetime in state-of-the-art warfighters at the recent Bengaluru air show, India has shortlisted two European rivals - the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale - for its medium fighter contest.

Find out what we think about what some might term the victory of substance over style in our Comment this week (Flight International 10 May).

This week's (10 May) Flight International provides the perfect curtain raiser for EBACE. Here's a list of the features:

• When Eclipse Aviation collapsed, several Eclipse 500 whitetails were bought by the new owners of the company's assets, Eclipse Aerospace, and given a new avionics suite. Find out what our test pilot Mike Gerzanics thought of the reborn very light jet.
• The safety reputation of business aviation is good, but could it be better? David Learmount examines the latest safety initiatives being deployed across the sector.
• Business aviation leads the way when it comes to avionics. John Croft takes a closer look at the new era of enhanced vision capabilities being ushered in by the industry.
• Going to EBACE or following events from afar. Our guide tells you how to keep up with all developments by way of Flightglobal's impressive array of products.
• Europe's air taxi revolution never arrived. Was the economy to blame or the concept itself flawed? We talk to some who still believe the dream and some who are convinced that high-utilisation, low-cost air charter remains a fantasy.
• NetJets Europe, the region's predominant fractional player, has been clobbered by the recession. Kate Sarsfield, however, finds the operator surprisingly bullish about its prospects.
• Kerry Reals looks at how Europe's emissions trading scheme will affect the industry
• Finally, Kate Sarsfield talks to all the business aircraft manufacturers for her comprehensive round-up of programme progress and prospects ahead of EBACE.

Anyone who follows business aviation must not miss Flight International's annual EBACE special, out on Tuesday 10 May.

Among the features are a manufacturer-by-manufacturer update on programmes and prospects and an assessment of whether the air taxi concept can ever take off in Europe. We take a closer look at enhanced vision cockpit systems for business jets and the latest environmental challenges facing the sector. And for all fans of the Eclipse 500, we fly the latest cockpit version of the pioneering very-light jet, being offered by the new Eclipse Aerospace, which took over the assets of the bankrupt Eclipse Aviation.

As a primer for Europe's biggest business aviation show, you won't find any better.

If you're thinking about looking for a job in the still fast-expanding aviation sector in the Arabian Gulf and missed our 26 April issue with the free Middle East Careers Guide, you can still catch up with it on the web, here.

Photographer/videographer Ian Billinghurst and I had great fun in Doha and the UAE making both the magazine and interactive versions. We got some great interviews with Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways boss Akbar Al Baker, which you can watch on video and read the longer version of in words.